ALMA 1 was a descendant of Nephi born in the Land of Nephi.  While he was yet   a young man, he became one of King Noah's priests.  But, when he heard the      testimony of the prophet Abinadi, "he believed the words which Abinadi had      spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi has testified         against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be    angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace. But the king was  more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent   his servants after him that they might slay him. But he fled from before them   and hid himself that they found him not.  And he being concealed for many days  did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken."  (Mosiah 17:2-4)  After      this, Alma went about secretly, preaching and baptizing any who would listen    and believe.  He founded a Church of Christ in the wilderness, and then fled    with them when they were discovered by King Noah.  His people were captured and enslaved by the Lamanites, and when they bore their afflictions with patience,  the Lord delivered them and led them back to the Land of Zarahemla.  King       Mosiah II was glad to see them, and gave Alma authority to organize Churches of Christ in the Land of Zarahemla.  Thus, Alma became the "founder of their       church." (Mosiah 29:47)  His son was the rebellious Alma the Younger.                                                                                                                                                                           KING BENJAMIN was "a holy man, and he did reign over his people in              righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness      because of the stiffneckedness of the people--Wherefore, with the help of       these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the        faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land." (Words of Mormon 1:17-18)  After battling with the Lamanites "withthe strength of his own arm, with the sword of Laban," (Words of Mormon 1:14)   King Benjamin was blessed with a peaceful and prosperous reign.  When he became old, he desired to confer the kingdom upon his son, Mosiah, and to bless his    people.  To that end, he called a great conference of all his people, during    which he uttered one of the most memorable speeches in the whole Book of Mormon.You can read this speech in Mosiah, chapters 2-5.  As a result of this sermon,  all the people were converted to the Lord, and King Benjamin died a happy man.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  CAPTAIN MORONI was only 25 years old when he was appointed chief captain over   all the armies of the Nephites at a time when several groups were trying to     overthrow the democracy.  Captain Moroni "rent his coat; and he took a piece    thereof, and wrote upon it--In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom,    and our peace, our wives, and our children--and he fastened it upon the end of  a pole...(and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the    earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to       possess the land. (Alma 46:11-16)                                                     "Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect under-   standing; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did    joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from        bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his  God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea,    and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an  oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even  to the loss of his blood."   (Alma 48:11-13)                                        Captain Moroni was a brilliant strategist who led a successful war against  the kingmen and the Lamanites and died in peace at his own house.               DAUGHTER OF LEHI:  The Book of Mormon does not list many women by name, and in  the opening chapters of the book, we get the impression that Father Lehi had    only male heirs.  But in 2 Nephi chapter 5, Nephi is commanded to take the      righteous descendants of Lehi and flee with them to save their lives.           "Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram   and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and       Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go    with me.  And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the     warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my        words." (2 Nephi 5:6)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ENOS was the son of Jacob and the grandson of Father Lehi.  He begins his       record with the following words:  "Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos,        knowing my father that he was a just man--for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord--and blessed be the name of my   God for it--And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.  Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forest;  and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life,  and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.  And my soul hungered; and  I kneeled down before my maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and       supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea,   and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the     heavens.  And there came a voice unto me, saying:  Enos, thy sins are forgiven  thee, and thou shalt be blessed...Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou has never before heard nor seen."  (Enos 1:1-5,8)                                        His own sins being forgiven, Enos then prayed for his people, the          Nephites, and received the promise that they would be blessed as long as they   remained righteous.  Enos then prayed for his enemies, the Lamanites, and was   told that some of them would be spared, as well as the record of his own        people, to the end that at some future time the Lamanites might be restored to  the truth.  Enos became a great prophet-leader of the early Nephites.           The FREEMEN were those people dedicated to the cause of liberty at the time     that the kingmen were trying to overthrow the government.  Led by Captain       Moroni, "the freemen had sworn or covenanted to maintain their rights and the   privileges of their religion by a free government." (Alma 51:6)  They were      ultimately successful in their struggles, and peace was restored to the Land of Zarahemla.  You can read about the wars of the kingmen and the freemen in Alma, chapters 51-62.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 GIDEON was a strong man and an enemy to wicked king Noah.  He swore he would    slay the king, and chased him up to the top of a high tower.  But when they saw an army of the Lamanites coming, Gideon agreed to spare the king.  Gideon       proved himself more valiant in battle than King Noah, who fled with some of his men, leaving the women and children to face the Lamanites.  They surrendered    and became slaves to the Lamanites under a new king, Noah's son Limhi, who      appointed Gideon captain of his army.                                               Gideon was instrumental in solving the mystery of the missing Lamanite      daughters and preventing a war on that occasion.  (See Mosiah 20:17-18)             When Ammon the explorer came from the Land of Zarahemla to rescue Limhi and his people, it was Gideon who proposed the successful escape plan: Gideon       recommended that they send extra wine to their Lamanite guards, that they might become drunk.  Then, in the night, the people and all they could carry slipped  through the back pass and into the wilderness. (see Mosiah 22)                      As an old man, Gideon became a teacher in the Church of Christ.  One day,   as he was journeying in a certain valley, Gideon met with an anti-Christ named  Nehor.  An heated argument resulted, Gideon admonishing Nehor with the words of God.  Nehor became angry, drew his sword, and beat Gideon to death.  Nehor was  tried and condemned for the murder of Gideon and executed, and the valley where his death took place was called Gideon ever afterward. (see Alma 1)             HELAMAN 1 was the son of Alma the Younger.  He lived at the same time as CaptainMoroni, and of these men Mormon the editor says:  "If all men had been, and     were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell      would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the  hearts of the children of men. ...The sons of Mosiah, and also Alma and his     sons, were all men of God. 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." (Alma 48:17-19)                                                       It was to Helaman that Alma the Younger gave the charge of keeping the      history of the people as he was about to depart this mortal sphere.                 When the Nephites were fighting the Lamanites on one hand and the kingmen   on the other, Helaman was unanimously elected to head a company of 2,000        stripling sons of the people of Ammon, who had formerly been Lamanites and who  had been converted to God through the preaching of the Sons of King Mosiah II.  Their faith in their mothers' teachings and in Helaman led them to great        victories over their enemies.  So great was their faith that during battle,     although nearly every one was wounded, not one youth died.                           At the conclusion of the wars, Helaman went back to preaching the gospel   throughout the land. (Alma 62:42-44)  His son was also named Helaman.           ISHMAEL is a popular Old Testament name, and is the name of the man God         directed to join Lehi and his family in their journey to the Promised Land.     Lehi's family consisted principally of sons, while Ishmael, it appears, had     several daughters.  It was necessary for these two families to unite in order   for a nation to grow.  Of the mission of Lehi's sons back to Jerusalem to visit Ishmael, Nephi says:  "And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of    Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did    speak unto him the words of the Lord.  And it came to pass that the Lord did    soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took    their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father. (1    Nephi 7:4-6)  In the natural course of events, the sons of Lehi married the     daughters of Ishmael, and from them sprang both the Nephite and Lamanite        nations.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        JACOB was Lehi's first son born in the wilderness as the family journeyed to    the Promised Land.  As a child, he suffered greatly, both through the rudeness  of his eldest brothers and because of the difficult conditions of a long desert journey.  While he was still in his youth, Jacob beheld the Savior and had      great visions.  In his closing blessing to Jacob, Lehi said, "Thou knowest the  greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.       Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy      brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God.          Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy   Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring   salvation unto men. And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore,     thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh;" (2     Nephi 2:1-4)                                                                         Jacob and his younger brother, Joseph,  were ordained priests and teachers of the people by the hand of Nephi.  After the death of Nephi, Jacob became     chief prophet to the nation and the keeper of the sacred records.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               KING MOSIAH I was born in the land of Nephi in a time of great wickedness.  He  was called as a prophet, and when the people would not listen to the warnings   of the Lord, Mosiah was commanded to "flee out of the land of Nephi, and as     many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the  land with him, into the wilderness--And it came to pass that he did according   as the Lord had commanded him.  And they departed out of the land into the      wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord; and they were  led by many preachings and prophesyings.  And they were admonished continually  by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm, through the      wilderness, until they came down into the land which is called the land of      Zarahemla. And they discovered a people, who were called the people of          Zarahemla....But it came to pass that Mosiah caused that they should be taught  in his language....And it came to pass that the people of Zarahemla, and of     Mosiah, did unite together; and Mosiah was appointed to be their king." (Omni   1:12-14, 18, 19)                                                                    King Mosiah was also a seer:  "And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah,   there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did      interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God." (verse 20)                  The other (better known) King Mosiah spoken of in the Book of Mormon is the grandson of this King Mosiah and the son of King Benjamin.                      LEHI was a prophet who lived at Jerusalem in the days when Zedekiah was king,   just prior to the Babylonian captivity of the Jews.  Lehi was a thoughtful man. One day, "...As he went forth [Lehi] prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all   his heart, in behalf of his people.  And it came to pass as he prayed unto the  Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw  and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake   and tremble exceedingly.  And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit  and the things which he had seen. And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he   was carried away in a vision." (1 Nephi 1:5-8)  Lehi saw God, and prophesied    concerning the imminent destruction of Jerusalem.  But the people rejected him  and his message.  When they tried to kill him, the Lord commanded him to flee   with his family into the wilderness.  Obedient to the commandment of the Lord,  Lehi and his family were led to a land of promise, even the American continent, which had been reserved by the Lord from the days of the great flood as a place for a righteous nation.  The Book of Mormon is the history of his descendants   and the Lord's dealings with them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              MORMON and his son, Moroni, were the last two prophets of the Nephite nation.   When Mormon was but 10 years old, Ammaron, the keeper of the records, visited   him and gave him charge of the history of the Nephite people.  Mormon later     records, "I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind,     therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of     Jesus...."  (Mormon 1:15)  "And it came to pass in that same year there began   to be a war again between the Nephites and the Lamanites.  And notwithstanding  I being young, was large in stature, therefore the people of the Nephites       appointed me that I should be their leader, or the leader of their armies.      Therefore it came to pass that in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head  of an army of the Nephites, against the Lamanites."  (Mormon 2:1-2)                 Missionary, prophet and general, Mormon lost his life in the great final    battle that utterly destroyed the wicked Nephite nation.  His most enduring     contribution to mankind is the book that bears his name.  Mormon's abridgement  of the Nephite history and his own record and teachings comprise over 65% of    "the most correct of any book on earth."  (see Introduction to The Book of      Mormon)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         NEPHI II was the son of Helaman II, greatgrandson of Alma the Younger.  Nephi   served briefly as chief judge of the Nephite nation.  But the wickedness of the people grieved Nephi, until he resigned the judgement-seat to serve a mission   with his younger brother, Lehi.                                                     Nephi and Lehi had little success with the wicked Nephites, and so left to  preach to the Lamanites.  "And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did preach   unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority...to the convincing      them, insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites...baptized unto  repentance." (Helaman 5:18-19)                                                      Returning to the land of Nephi, the brothers were imprisoned by an army of  Lamanites.  But when the army came to slay them, Nephi and Lehi were encircled  about by heavenly fire, and there was a terrible earthquake, which convinced    them of their wicked ways.  300 were converted on that occasion.                    Returning to Zarahemla, Nephi got up on a tower in his garden to pray.  Whena great multitude gathered, he called upon them to repent or perish.  Then, by  inspiration, Nephi revealed and solved the murder of the chief judge.  Shortly  thereafter, the Lord gave Nephi a special calling, such that anything he asked  for would come to pass.  Nephi asked for a famine that a war might be ended, andit was done.  When the people repented, rain came again at Nephi's asking.      (see Helaman chapters 8-11)                                                     OMNI was the grandson of Enos the prophet.  His writings are few.  Of himself,  he wrote in humility, "Wherefore, in my days, I would that ye should know that  I fought much with the sword to preserve my people, the Nephites, from falling  into the hands of their enemies, the Lamanites.  But behold, I of myself am a   wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord   as I ought to have done." (Omni 1:1-2)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          PAHORAN 1 was the third chief judge of the Nephites.  "Yea, he was appointed    chief judge and governor over the people, with an oath and sacred ordinance to  judge righteously, and to keep the peace and the freedom of the people, and to  grant unto them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord their God, yea, to  support and maintain the cause of God all his days, and to bring the wicked to  justice according to their crime."  (Alma 50:39)                                    It was in the days of Pahoran that the kingmen sought to overthrow the      government.  But the voice of the people came in favor of Pahoran.  In anger,   the kingmen refused to join the army and fight the Lamanites, who were again    preparing for war with the Nephites.  Pahoran gave Captain Moroni authority to  compel the dissenters to defend their country.  His solution was simple:        support the cause of freedom, or be put to death.  There were few who failed to see the light.                                                                      While Captain Moroni and most of the army were defending the Nephites from  the Lamanite invasion, the remaining kingmen took advantage of the situation andbegan a civil war, forcing Pahoran into exile.  When Moroni was informed of     this, he gathered together all those who loved their freedom and marched to     Pahoran's aid.  With Pahoran and Captain Moroni working together, it wasn't     long before peace was restored to the capital and Pahoran returned to the       judgement-seat.                                                                 THE QUEEN OF THE LAMANITES referred to here is the wife of King Lamoni.  When   King Lamoni became convinced of the wickedness of the life he had lived, he     fell into a coma.  "And it came to pass that his servants took him and carried  him in unto his wife...; and he lay as if he were dead for the space of two     days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him." (Alma 18:43)  "Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her....  And she said unto     him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a      prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his  name; Therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my   husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two    nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead and    that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for   myself, to me he doth not stink."  Ammon assured the queen that her husband was not dead, but would rise on the morrow.  "And Ammon said unto her: Believest    thou this?  And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.  And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding  faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all    the people of the Nephites."  (Alma 19:2-10)  She was later baptized.           RUTH: In fact, there is no one named Ruth mentioned in the Book of Mormon.      However, Ruth is a popular Hebrew name of Old Testament fame, (she was the      grandmother of King David), and almost certainly many Nephite women would have  carried that name.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              SARIAH is the name of Lehi's wife, one of only three women to be mentioned by   name in the Book of Mormon.  Nephi records that his father, Lehi, "did travel   in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother, Sariah, and my elder brothers, who were Laman, Lemuel, and Sam. (1 Nephi 2:5)                      Mothers everywhere can empathize with Sariah's concern for the welfare of   her sons as they are repeatedly asked to return to a dangerous city to          accomplish virtually impossible tasks, and sympathize with her sufferings as    she journeyed for years through a desert, bearing children on the way.  Her     testimony is recorded in 1 Nephi 5:8.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           TEANCUM was a bold, cunning man who commanded an army at the direction of       Moroni, who was chief captain.  "Teancum and his men...were great warriors; for every man of Teancum did exceed the Lamanites in their strength and in their    skill of war, insomuch that they did gain advantage over the Lamanites....  And it came to pass that they did harass them, insomuch that they did slay them     even until it was dark....  And it came to pass that when the night had come,   Teancum and his servant stole forth and went out by night, and went into the    camp of Amalickiah [the Lamanite king]....  And it came to pass that Teancum    stole privily into the tent of the king, and put a javelin to his heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately that he did not awake his servants. And he returned again privily to his own camp." (Alma 51:31-35)                     Several times during the war, Teancum and a small number of men acted as    decoy, drawing the main army of the Lamanites out of their fortified cities,    thus permitting the Nephites to retake the city.  The Lamanites pursued Teancum until he was joined by a fresh army led by Captain Lehi, who chased the         Lamanites back to the city, where the main army of Captain Moroni was waiting   for them. (Alma 52:19-29)   Teancum's courage proved the death of him, however, when he was caught the third time he tried sneaking into an enemy leader's tent for the purpose of slaying him.  He killed the Lamanite king, but was slain by  the king's servants as he attempted to escape.  (Alma 62:36)                    THE WIFE OF NEPHI:  "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the         daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also, my brethren took of the daughters of    Ishmael to wife; and also Zoram took the eldest daughter of Ishmael to wife."   (1 Nephi 16:7)                                                                      While we do not know her first name, Nephi's wife was a true and faithful   woman who supported her prophet-husband in his many afflictions.  You can read  more about her in 1 Nephi 17-18.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ZEEZROM was the "most expert" lawyer in the wicked city of Ammonihah.  We first see him cross-examining Amulek and offering the new convert a substantial bribe (which he had no intention of actually paying) if Amulek would deny his         testimony of God.  By the power of God, Amulek knew Zeezrom's schemes and       exposed him.  At this, Zeezrom "began to tremble under a consciousness of his   guilt...,for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was     also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was          convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart; for power was   given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy. And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know   more concerning the kingdom of God." (Alma 12:1-8)  When Alma and Amulek were   imprisoned, Zeezrom's "soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of    his own guilt."  Zeezrom was cast out of the city with the other believing men. Alma and Amulek were delivered from jail, and came to Sidom, where they found   Zeezrom sick "with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations  of his mind on account of his wickedness."  He professed to Alma, "I believe    all the words that thou hast taught."  Alma healed him and baptized him, "and   he began from that time forth to preach unto the people."  (Alma 15:3-12)  He   accompanied Alma on several missionary journeys, and his missionary work was    remembered throughout the land generations later.  (see Helaman 5:40-41)        