Helaman 11:9-19

⁹ And it came to pass that the judges did say unto Nephi, according to the words which had been desired.  And it came to pass that when Nephi saw that the people had repented and did humble themselves in sackcloth, he cried again unto the Lord, saying:

¹⁰ O Lord, behold this people repenteth; and they have swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct, and they have concealed their secret plans in the earth. ¹¹ Now, O Lord, because of this their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger, and let thine anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men whom thou hast already destroyed. ¹² O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land. ¹³ O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain.

Helaman 11:9 – 13 (Emphasis mine)

The Nephite leaders did as asked.  They went to Nephi₂ and asked that he ask the Lord to end the famine.  Nephi₂ saw the people had truly repented and humbled themselves before the Lord.

Nephi₂ prayed to the Lord.  The people had “swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct” (v. 10).  They have become a humble people.  He asked that His anger be appeased because they had destroyed these wicked men. 

He asked the Lord to end the famine.  Let the rain begin and the grain grow.  “[C]ause that it may be done according to my words” (v. 13).  Remember, the Lord promised that whatever Nephi₂ asked would come about, because he would not ask for anything contrary to the will of God.

¹⁴ O Lord, thou didst hearken unto my words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease; and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto my words, for thou saidst that: If this people repent I will spare them. ¹⁵ Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence and destruction which has come unto them. ¹⁶ And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee?  And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said.

Helaman 11:14 – 16 (Emphasis mine)

The Lord heard Nephi₂’s words when asked for the famine to end the wars.  He knows the Lord will now harken unto his words when he asked the famine end because the people have repented.

Hugh Nibley writes:

“The famine was horrendous and put a stop to everything, so finally the people were willing to give up their stocks and bonds and settle for just their lives. When ‘the people saw that they were about to perish by famine’ (Helaman 11:7), they appealed to Nephi, who prayed: ‘O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee?’ (Helaman 11:16). So they were given another chance and the robbers went, literally, underground: ‘The band of Gadianton … have become extinct, and they [the repentant people] have concealed their secret plans in the earth’ (Helaman 11:10). That concealing in the earth is a very important part of the story. The mischief is not finished off—it only sleeps. Since it is Satan's prerogative to try men and to tempt them with the treasures of the earth, the means of doing so will always be within his reach.”[1] (Emphasis mine)

¹⁷ And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year [16 B.C.] the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit.  And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain. ¹⁸ And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authority given unto him from God. ¹⁹ And behold, Lehi, his brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness.

Helaman 11:17 – 19 (Emphasis mine)

The Lord ended the famine at Nephi₂’s request.  Rain came and the grain began to grow.  The people became a righteous people.  They accepted Nephi₂ as a great prophet.  Since we haven’t heard much about Nephi₂’s brother, Lehi4, recently, Mormon tells us that he “was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness” (v. 19).

Hugh Nibley explains the how the people go from wickedness to righteousness so rapidly.

“The prophets in the Book of Mormon marvel at how soon a righteous people can become wicked, and the speed of the reverse process is even more surprising. It is a common fallacy to think of things happening very slowly in history, and especially in ancient history. But the student has only to compare any two consecutive decades of history to realize that things do not move slowly at all—history moves at breath-taking speed, and as far as the existing records show, always has … [A]s the result of a single famine, a wicked nation becomes a righteous nation (Helaman 11:18)…”[2] (Emphasis mine)

---

[1] Freemen and King-men in the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 1, 2012.

[2] Good People and Bad People, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 1, 2012.