Page:Book of Mormon (1830, bookofmormonacco1830smit).pdf/463

it was the custom among all the Nephites, to appoint for their Chief Captains, save it were in their times of wickedness, some one that had the spirit of revelation, and also of prophecy; therefore this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, and also was the Chief Judge. Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni, Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains, and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them, in their own lands. But Gidgiddoni saith unto them, the Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them, the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the centre of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore, as the Lord liveth, if we do this, he will deliver them into our hands. And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their horses, and their chariots, and their cattle, and all their flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their substance, and did march forth by thousands, and by tens of thousands, until they had all gone forth to the place which had been appointed, that they should gather themselves together, to defend themselves against their enemies. And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land of Zarahemla and the land Bountiful; yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation; and there were a great many thousand people, which were called Nephites, which did gather themselves together in this land. Now Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together in the land southward, because of the great curse which was upon the land northward; and they did fortify themselves against their enemies, and they did dwell in one land, and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus, insomuch that they did repent of all their sins; and they did put up their prayers unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle. And they were exceeding sorrowful because of their enemy. And Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make weapons of war, of every kind, that they should be strong with armor, and with shields, and with bucklers, after the manner of his instruction.

And it came to pass that in the latter end of the eighteenth