30 And now behold, they were exceeding wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them.
31 Now the leader of those which were wroth against their brethren was a large and a strong man, And his name was Amalickiah;
32 And Amalickiah was desirous to be a king, And those people which were wroth were also desirous that he should be their king; And they were - the greater part of them - the lower judges of the land, And they were seeking for power;
33 And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah, that if they would support him and establish him to be their king, that he would make them rulers over the people.
34 Thus they were led away by Amalickiah to dissensions, notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his brethren, Yea, notwithstanding their exceeding great care over the church, for they were high priests over the church;
35 And there were many in the church which believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah, Therefore they dissented, even from the church.
36 And thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceeding precarious and dangerous, Notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites, And their great rejoicings which they had had because of their delivery by the hands of the Lord.
37 Thus we see how quick the children of men doth forget the Lord their God, Yea, how quick to do iniquity and to be led away by the evil one. Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.
38 Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning devices and a man of many flattering words, That he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly,
39 Yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, Or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous' sake.
40 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, which was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah.