The Jaredite Civilization » Destruction of the Jaredite Civilization

Everywhere throughout the land all the people became divided, either joining the army of Coriantumr or the army of Shiz. The lengthy and terrible war spread so quickly that the entire land was strewn with the bodies of men, women, and children. With no one left to bury the dead, the bodies were eaten away by worms. And the survivors were troubled by the stench both day and night. Jesus was visiting the fullness of his wrath upon the people.

Sources:
• Ether 14:19-25

When Coriantumr recovered he saw that two million fighting men had been killed in the war—not counting all their wives and children—and he began to remember the words of the prophets. He became inconsolably sad and repented his evil. He wrote a letter to Shiz offering to give him the kingdom if he would spare the people. Shiz wrote back that he would spare the people if Coriantumr allowed Shiz to kill him.

Sources:
• Ether 15:1-5

But the people were not repentant of their wickedness. The people of Shiz and the people of Coriantumr were stirred with anger at each other and the two sides met in battle again near the hill Cumorah in what is now western New York State. Over the course of four years, every last surviving person in all the land assembled there with the exception of the prophet Ether, who observed from a distance. The year was now likely around 590 B.C.

Sources:
• Ether 15:6-14
• Jesus the Christ, (2006), 6–16

The second day of the battle was terrible and intense with neither side conquering the other. By this point, the spirit of the Lord had left the people and Satan had full power over them, and their minds were blinded to bring about their destruction. Over the next nights, rather than return to their camps, they slept on their swords, and fought all day with their swords, drunk with anger.

Sources:
• Ether 15:17-24

After six days of battle, there were only 32 of Shiz's people and 27 of Coriantumr's people remaining alive. All were big, strong men. They ate and slept, and prepared to die the next morning. On the seventh day they fought for three hours and then all fainted from loss of blood. Finally on the eighth day, all the men killed one another until only Shiz and Coriantumr were left alive.

Sources:
• Ether 15:25-29

Jesus told Ether to come forth, and Ether came forth and saw that all of Jesus's words had been fulfilled. Ether finished writing the record of the Jaredite people on 24 gold plates, and then he hid them where they would one day be found by the Mulekites. Ether ended his writings not knowing if Jesus would take him up into heaven or leave him on Earth to suffer.

Sources:
• Ether 15:33-34
• Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual, 2012 - Introduction to the Book of Ether

Coriantumr survived the battle and wandered until he was found by a people known as the Mulekites. Mulek was a descendant of King David of Jerusalem. Jesus lead Mulek and his people across the ocean to America during the sixth century B.C., and they founded a city to the south of the area where the Jaredite civilization ended. Coriantumr lived among the Mulekites for around nine months and then he died.

Sources:
• “Possible Routes Suggested for Mulek’s Voyage” Ensign Magazine of the LDS Church. September 1973.
• Wilson, Garth A. “The Mulekites” Ensign Magazine of the LDS Church. March 1987.
• Book of Mormon Student Manual, (2009), 130–35