142 Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people, than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance, all men whosoever would hearken unto their words.
143 And thus they went forth, and the people did humble themselves because of their words, insomuch that they were highly favored of the Lord; and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves; yea, even for the space of four years.
144 But as I have said in the latter end of the nineteenth; yea, notwithstanding their peace amongst themselves, they were compelled reluctantly to contend with their brethren, the Lamanites;
145 Yea, and in fine, their wars never did cease for the space of many years with the Lamanites, notwithstanding their much reluctance.
146 Now they were sorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all; they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world unprepared to meet their God;
147 Nevertheless, they could not suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should be massacred by the barbarous cruelty of those who were once their brethren, yea, and had dissented from their church, and had left them, and had gone to destroy them, by joining the Lamanites;
148 Yea, they could not bear that their brethren should rejoice over the blood of the Nephites, so long as there were any who should keep the commandments of God, for the promise of the Lord was, if they should keep his commandments, they should prosper in the land.
149 And now it came to pass, in the eleventh month of the nineteenth year, on the tenth day of the month, the armies of the Lamanites were seen approaching towards the land of Ammonihah.
150 And behold, the city had been rebuilt, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the city, and they had cast up dirt round about, to shield them from the arrows and the stones of the Lamanites: for behold, they fought with stones, and with arrows.
151 Behold, I said that the city of Ammonihah had been rebuilt. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part rebuilt, and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them.
152 But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and arrows at them, that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them, save it was by their place of entrance.
