forbidden to preach because my people had willfully rebelled against their God. I stayed among them but said nothing about God because their hearts were so hard.
The land was also cursed because of the hardened hearts. The Gadianton robbers among the Lamanites infested the land so much that the Nephites buried their treasure to keep it from being stolen. Yet their treasure became elusive, for the Lord's curse was upon the land, and the Nephites could not find their buried treasures.
- Note: 316 years before it happened, Samuel had prophesied: "And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord." -- Helaman 13:18.
There was also sorcery, witchcraft and magic, for the power of the evil one was over the entire land. This condition fulfilled all of Abinadi's and Samuel's words.
At age 16, Mormon leads army...
(compare Mormon, chapter 2)
Another war broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites in 325 AD.
Though young, I was strong, so the Nephites appointed me to lead their armies. In the year 326 AD, at age 16, I led the Nephite army against the Lamanites.
In 327 AD the Lamanites came upon us with such great power that they frightened my army, and we retreated to the north. We came to the city of Angola, took possession of it, and prepared to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. We fortified the city with all our strength, but the Lamanites still drove us out.
They also drove us out of the land of David, and we marched to the land of Joshua, near the western seashore. We gathered our
