Noah³, son of Zeniff and father of Limhi, was the second Nephite king over the land of Nephi, which his father had settled after leaving Zarahemla. His reign began around 160 B.C. He did not walk in the ways of his father, kept many wives and concubines, and led his people into whoredoms and wickedness (Mosiah 11:1-2). He put down the priests his father had consecrated and installed new ones who shared his pursuit of wealth and pleasure, spending his time in riotous living with his wives and concubines while his priests consorted with harlots (Mosiah 11:5, 11:14).
To support these excesses, Noah laid a tax of one fifth part of all his people possessed (Mosiah 11:3, 6). When Abinadi prophesied against him, Noah was angry and demanded, “Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him?” (Mosiah 11:27). At Abinadi’s trial Noah was about to release him, fearing that the judgments of God would come upon him (Mosiah 17:11), but his priests accused Abinadi of reviling the king, and Noah delivered him up to be put to death by fire (Mosiah 17:12, 20). Before dying, Abinadi prophesied that Noah’s priests and their seed would themselves suffer death by fire (Mosiah 17:18).
When the Lamanites attacked, Noah commanded the people to flee, then ordered the men to abandon their wives and children; some refused and stayed (Mosiah 19:9-12). After Gideon spared his life and the people had fled into the wilderness, Noah commanded them not to return; they turned on him and put him to death by fire (Mosiah 19:20). His son Limhi, who succeeded him, was a just man who did not share his father’s iniquities (Mosiah 19:17).