RCE Verse Context

38 And in the fifty and seventh year, they did come down against the Nephites to battle, And they did commence the work of death; Yea, insomuch that in the fifty and eighth year of the reign of the judges, They succeeded in obtaining possession of the Land of Zarahemla, yea, and also all the lands even unto the land which was near the Land Bountiful;

39 And the Nephites and the armies of Moronihah were driven even into the Land of Bountiful; And there they did fortify against the Lamanites from the West Sea even unto the east - It being a day's journey for a Nephite on the line which they had fortified - And stationed their armies to defend their North Country.

40 And thus those dissenters of the Nephites, with the help of a numerous army of the Lamanites, had obtained all the possession of the Nephites which was in the Land Southward.

41 And all this was done in the fifty and eighth and ninth years of the reign of the judges.

42 And it came to pass in the sixtieth year of the reign of the judges, Moronihah did succeed with his armies in obtaining many parts of the land; Yea, they retained many cities which had fallen into the hands of the Lamanites.

43 And it came to pass in the sixty and first year of the reign of the judges, They succeeded in retaining even the half of all their possessions.

44 Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; Yea, and it was among those also which professed to belong to the church of God.

45 And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches; Yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor - withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked - And smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, Making a mock of that which was sacred, Denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, Murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, raising up in great contentions, And dissenting away into the Land of Nephi, among the Lamanites

46 And because of this, their great wickedness and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; Therefore, they did not prosper, But were afflicted and smitten and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

47 But behold, Moronihah did preach many things unto the people because of their iniquity, And also Nephi and Lehi, which were the sons of Helaman, did preach many things unto the people,

48 Yea, and did prophesy many things unto them concerning their iniquities and what should come unto them if they did not repent of their sins.