Mormon writes the Words of Mormon during or just prior to 385 AD, the year of the great and last battle (he was about age 74 at the time, see Mormon 2:2). He declares that he has witnessed almost all the destruction of his people. The modifier "almost" is used because the last battle had not yet taken place. He later stated, I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people…therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni (Mormon 6:6). Mormon would complete his abridgement prior to the last battle in case his life would be taken. He had made the necessary preparations, anticipating that Moroni would witness the entire destruction of his people even if he didn't survive to see it. The phrase, being about to deliver up the record, makes it sound like Mormon is ready to give Mormoni the records now, but later in this chapter we learn that Mormon has not yet abridged the large plates of Nephi from Mosiah to Mormon (see v. 5,9), nor has he completed his personal history as found in Mormon 1-7.