“The Anti-Nephi-Lehies,” Book of Mormon Stories (2023)
The Anti-Nephi-Lehies
People who chose to love their enemies
Many Lamanites learned about God from Ammon and his brothers. These Lamanites had strong faith in the Lord and followed God’s commandments. They wanted a new name, so they called themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehies instead of Lamanites.
The Anti-Nephi-Lehies changed because of their faith in God. They repented of the bad things they used to do. They knew God loved them and forgave them.
The Lamanites were mad and were getting ready to attack the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. Instead of fighting, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies made a promise to God. They said they would never hurt people again. To show this, they buried their weapons. They chose to love their enemies instead of hurting or killing them.
The Lamanites who did not believe in God attacked the Anti-Nephi-Lehies.
The Anti-Nephi-Lehies had faith that if they were killed, they would live with God. They kept their promise to God and did not fight the Lamanites.
Instead of fighting, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies prayed. When the Lamanites saw this, many of them stopped attacking. They felt bad for killing people. Those Lamanites also chose to never hurt people again. They joined the Anti-Nephi-Lehies.
As time went on, more people attacked. Ammon and his brothers were sad the Anti-Nephi-Lehies were suffering. They asked the king to take his people to live with the Nephites. The king said they would go if the Lord wanted them to. Ammon prayed. The Lord said they should go and that He would keep them safe.
The Nephites gave the Anti-Nephi-Lehies land to live in and protected them. In return, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies gave food to the Nephites. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies had great faith and loved God. They were honest with everyone and kept their promise to never fight. They were faithful their entire lives.