Episode 67: The end of the Jaredites

Ether 14-15

Secret combinations in a secret pass

14 ^1-2 There was a great curse upon the land so that everyone had to hold everything they owned in their hands so that no one else would steal it. ^3-4 Two years after Coriantumr killed Shared, the brother of Shared attacked Coriantumr and many thousands fell by the sword. ^5-6 The brother of Shared attacked Coriantumr's army and killed many of them while they were drunk. He defeated Coriantumr and became king in the land of Moron.

^7-8 For the next two years the armies of Coriantumr and the brother of Shared (whose name is finally revealed as Gilead) receive great strength. Gilead's army received strength from the secret combinations. ^9-10 Gilead's high priest murdered him while he sat on his throne. Then Lib, who was one of the secret combinations, murdered the high priest in a secret pass. Lib, by the way, was the biggest man in the entire kingdom.

^11-14 The armies of Lib and Coriantumr fought on the seashore. Lib smote Coriantumr, who fled into the wilderness of Akish. ^15-16 On the plains of Agosh, Coriantumr smote Lib until he died. Then the brother of Lib fought an exceedingly sore battle with Coriantumr.

^17-23 The brother of Lib (Shiz) pursued Coriantumr, destroy cities along the way, killing the women and children. All of the people flocked to the two rival armies and they fought until the entire earth was covered with rotting dead bodies, and the land began to stink.

^24-25 God told Coriantumr that he wouldn't be killed, but everyone else would receive the fullness of his wrath. (They'd be slaughtered by him.)

^26-29 Shiz and Coriantumr continued to fight. They fought on the seashore; they fought in the land of Corihor; they fought in the valley of Shurr near the hill Comnor. They fought the first time, and the second time, and the third time, when the battle became exceedingly sore. ^30-31 Shiz smote upon Coriantumr, giving him many wounds. He was carried off as though he were dead. Finally, Shiz decided that enough people had been killed so he let the armies of Coriantumr retreat without pursuing them.

The end of the Jaredites

15 ^1-3 When Coriantumr had recovered from his wounds he began to remember what Ether had told him. (Repent or everyone but Coriantumr would be killed.) More than two million mighty men had already been killed, not counting their wives and children.

^4-5 Coriantumr wrote a letter to Shiz, offering to give up the kingdom so that the killing could stop. Shiz replied saying, "Sure, if you'll let me kill you, I'll stop killing people." ^6-8 Apparently Coriantumr refused Shiz's kind offer, because the next thing you know, the two armies are fighting again by the waters of Ripliancum, which by interpretation (you probably need your seer stones for this) means "large."

^9-10 Coriantumr was wounded again in another exceedingly sore battle in which he defeated Shiz and his army which then fled to a place called Ogath. ¹¹ Coriantumr's army camped by the hill Ramah, which being interpreted is "Hill Cumorah" -- in current day Manchester, NY, a few miles from Joseph's Smith's boyhood family farm.

^12-17 All the Jaredites in the Western Hemisphere gathered together to fight it out. Every man, woman, and child chose a side to fight on -- except for Ether, who just watched from a distance for four years, as the people gathered to fight.

¹⁸ Coriantumr tried one more time to contact Shiz through the mail, saying "Let's be friends. You can have the kingdom if you want it." ¹⁹ God quit striving with everyone, so Satan took over. And together they made sure that the people killed each other.

^20-22 So they fought all day and then slept on their swords that night. They fought again the next day and got drunk on anger the next night. ²³ On the third day they fought again. All but 32 of Shiz's people and 69 of Coriantumr's were killed. ^24-25 After the fourth day of fighting only 32 people of Shiz and 27 people of Coriantumr survived.

²⁶ The survivors ate and drank and prepared for death. As far as strength goes, they were all large and mighty men. ²⁷ They fought for the space of three hours on the fifth day of fighting. Everyone fainted with the loss of blood.

^28-29 After resting a bit, Coriantumr's men fled for their lives. But the next day, Shiz and his men caught up with them. Everyone fell by the sword except for Shiz and Coriantumr, with Shiz fainting for loss of blood. ^30-31 Coriantumr rested on his sword for a little while; then he cut off Shiz's head. The headless Shiz struggled a bit for breath and died.

^32-33 Coriantumr fell to the ground as if he were dead. Then the Lord told Ether, "Go forth." Ether went forth and saw that the Lord's words had been fulfilled. (Everyone was killed just like God said they'd be.) Ether finished his record (less than 1% is included in the Book of Mormon -- thank God). Then Ether hid the records in a place where Limhi would find them.

³⁴ Ether's last words were something about how it didn't matter if Joseph Smith would someday translate his writing or not, just as long as he's saved. Or something like that.