Now, as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to the account of Aaron and his brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni he was led by the Spirit to the land of Nephi, even to the house of the king which was over all the land save it were the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.
And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king’s palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself before the king, and said unto him:
“Behold, O king, we are the brethren of Ammon, whom thou hast deliver ed out of prison. And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants.”
And the king said unto them:
“Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.”
And Aaron said unto the king:
“Behold, the Spirit of the Lord has called him another way; he has gone to the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni.”
Now the king said unto them:
“What is this that ye have said concerning the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me. And also, what is this that Ammon said—If ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day?”
And Aaron answered him and said unto him:
“Believest thou that there is a God?”
And the king said:
“I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves together to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold I will believe.”
And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said:
“Behold, assuredly as thou livest,
o king, there is a God.”
And the king said:
“Is God that Great Spirit that brought
our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?”
And Aaron said unto him:
“Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believest thou this?”
And he said:
“Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.”
And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.
And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.
And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.
