Post by Helem –
We have just been released having spent our first two days in the land of Nephi is prison. The King who appears to be the grandson of Zeniff just happened to be the first one we came upon when we journeyed from our camp on the hill overlooking Shilom. This King Lemhi was surrounded by his guards who immediately took us, bound us and committed us to prison.
Now after two days in that prison, he had us brought before him to answer a few questions. Our bands were loosed and the four of us stood before the king and were permitted, I think better put, commanded to answer the questions he would ask.
That is the first we actually learned who he was and the situation in which we found ourselves. King Lemhi is the son of King Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, the man who led the people out of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers. By the voice of the people, Zeniff had been made king over the people here.
The first question asked was why we were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when he personally was outside the gate with his guards. He must have thought, he and his guards would have frightened us away. According to him, this curiosity is what saved our lives, he wanted to know why we were so bold, so he elected to let us live
I don’t think it had anything to do with King Lemhi’s curiosity, I think God kept us alive. It is a good thing my brother Ammon was the one selected to be our leader, I would have frankly asked the king if he was so curious, why didn’t he just ask when we first met, saving us two days in prison. However, Ammon is wiser than I am.
When Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he stepped forward and bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said:
“O king, I am very thankful before God this day that we are still alive, and I am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness; For I am assured that if you had known me you would not have suffered that we should have worn these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla to inquire concerning our brethren, whom Zeniff brought up out of that land.”
After Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was surprisingly glad, proclaiming: “Now, I know of a surety that my brethren who were in the land of Zarahemla are yet alive. And now, I will rejoice!”
King Lemhi commanded his guards to set us free and to go up to the hill north of Shilom to bring the rest of our group into the city so we could eat and drink and rest ourselves from our journey. Over these many days in the wilderness, we have suffered hunger, thirst and fatigue.
King Lemhi is now preparing a proclamation so that tomorrow, he will gather his people together to listen to his hope of deliverance. Apparently our two days in bondage is nothing compared to the great burden this people has been under while in captivity to the Lamanites.
Tomorrow will be very interesting.
(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 7:7 – 16)
