Moroni 9

(My highlights in orange, my thoughts in blue 12/2020 red type 11/20 orange 8/21  Brown 2022-23)

Both the Nephites and the Lamanites are depraved and degenerate—They torture and murder each other—Mormon prays that grace and goodness may rest upon Moroni forever. About A.D. 401.

  1 My beloved son, I write unto you again that ye may know that I am yet alive; but I write somewhat of that which is grievous. I wonder who is delivering these letters? 
  2 For behold, I have had a sore battle with the Lamanites, in which we did not conquer; and Archeantus has fallen by the sword, and also Luram and Emron; yea, and we have lost a great number of our choice men. I wonder if they were "choice" because they were righteous or because they were good fighters...I thought at this point there weren't any righteous left...
  3 And now behold, my son, I fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to ^aanger one with another. Contention takes two people. We must keep our anger in check. Satan is continually stirring people up to be angry with one another in our day!
  4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with ^asharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they ^bharden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased ^cstriving with them. Interesting that when he speaks with sharpness they first "tremble"...why not just go straight to anger?  Without "sharpness" they have no emotion...just don't listen. Maybe in the first instance they "feel" the "power/sharpness" of the word of God, and feel forced to respond, like if you were poked with a sharp stick. You would feel the pain of the poke first and then you would get angry (if you disagreed with the reason for the poke)...the footnotes on "sharpness" refer to speaking boldly to correct by the power of the Holy Ghost. Where is the "sharpness" from our leaders to correct us? Surely we are off the mark in many ways right now...
  5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they ^athirst after blood and revenge continually. Quite the sign of unbelief that they don't fear death, though they are so wicked. Not afraid to meet God? 
  6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor ^adiligently; for if we should cease to ^blabor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. Never give up on mankind while you are on the earth. The war is against Satan for the souls of man. Sounds like he's saying we can never give up because it seems hopeless. We will be condemned for not trying
  7 And now I write somewhat concerning the sufferings of this people. For according to the knowledge which I have received from Amoron, behold, the Lamanites have many prisoners, which they took from the tower of Sherrizah; and there were men, women, and children.
  8 And the husbands and fathers of those women and children they have slain; and they feed the women upon the ^aflesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers; and no water, save a little, do they give unto them. These next few verses are very disturbing! Do the women and children know they are being given the flesh of the men? Are they eating it? Wouldn't you rather starve? McConkie said "all of the sorrow of the past are yet a foretaste of what will be." This is not a comforting verse!
  9 And notwithstanding this great ^aabomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after ^bdepriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is ^cchastity and ^dvirtue—Here, the Nephites are raping the young women prisoners, which Mormon says is worse than the Lamanites feeding the flesh of the men to their prisoners...notice a woman's chastity and virtue are "most dear and precious above all things"...yet it is disregarded by far too many in our day.
 10 And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery. This is so hard to read! I'm glad he didn't write what they did to torture these young girls, but the depravity of these men is beyond me! Did this happen because the women were evil and this was divine justice? 
 11 O my beloved son, how can a people like this, that are without civilization—
 12 (And only a few years have passed away, and they were a civil and a delightsome people) He is warning us that people can fall FAST...I feel like we are seeing that. People are starting to say very cruel things about those who won't get the "thing" that the government is saying will make us all safe...like they should be forced, rounded up into camps, not able to work or go out amongst others in society. History truly does repeat itself!
 13 But O my son, how can a people like this, whose ^adelight is in so much abomination—
 14 How can we expect that God will ^astay his hand in judgment against us?Judgement is coming! How can it not be? 
 15 Behold, my heart cries: Wo unto this people. Come out in judgment, O God, You can see how you would want God's judgment to come...it's the only way to stop people and hide their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face!
 16 And again, my son, there are many ^awidows and their daughters who remain in Sherrizah; and that part of the provisions which the Lamanites did not carry away, behold, the army of Zenephi has carried away, and left them to wander whithersoever they can for food; and many old women do faint by the way and die. This seems like a direct affront to the commandment to care for the widow...
 17 And the army which is with me is weak; and the armies of the Lamanites are betwixt Sherrizah and me; and as many as have fled to the army of ^aAaron have fallen victims to their awful brutality.
 18 O the depravity of my people! They are without ^aorder and without mercy. Behold, I am but a man, and I have but the ^bstrength of a man, and I cannot any longer enforce my commands.
 19 And they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written. Again, I ask...were the women and children suffering because of the wickedness of men? Or were they wicked as well?
 20 And now, my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold, thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth ^aexceed that of the Lamanites. This is truly an awful scene! We truly take for granted the power of the light of Christ in our lives and what we are without it. These people must truly be possessed by demons to want to do such awful things! It's really beyond comprehension to me!
 21 Behold, my son, I cannot recommend them unto God lest he should smite me. Elder Rasband just gave a talk in Oct Conference called "Recommended to God"
 22 But behold, my son, I recommend thee unto God, and I trust in Christ that thou wilt be saved; and I ^apray unto God that he will ^bspare thy life, to witness the return of his people unto him, or their utter destruction; for I know that they must perish except they ^crepent and return unto him. There are only two choices
 23 And if they perish it will be like unto the ^aJaredites, because of the wilfulness of their hearts, ^bseeking for blood and ^crevenge. We are not there yet...but sounds like people can turn quickly once they lose the light of Christ!
 24 And if it so be that they perish, we know that many of our brethren have ^adeserted over unto the Lamanites, and many more will also desert over unto them; wherefore, write somewhat a few things, if thou art spared and I shall perish and not see thee; but I trust that I may see thee soon; for I have sacred records that I would ^bdeliver up unto thee. It seems like he's telling us that some of the seed of the Nephites will be preserved because they joined with the Lamanites who won't be utterly destroyed, so this record will go to their children as well as the Lamanites...
 25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto ^adeath;  Sounds like grief can literally weigh you down to death! but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and ^blong-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your ^cmind forever.
 26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the ^aright hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.