The teachings of Abinadi were exactly what the infidel priests of King Noah did not want to hear. The wickedness that had blackened King Noah's hard heart lay hold of him and carried him down to depths where a righteous appeal could not be heard. His intemperance had led him from the paths of duty and loyalty that his contemporary, King Benjamin, in Zarahemla, walked. King Noah had no discernment; he did not understand, and, therefore, he could not fulfill the words of Abinadi; he was callous and wine had made him dull. The demands of justice, of right and wrong, were imperceptible to his senses. He ordered his priests to seize and slay Abinadi.