12 Samuel said to all the Israelites, ‘I have done everything that you asked me to do. I have given you a king to rule over you. 2 Listen! You now have a king to be your leader, instead of me. I am old and my hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I have been your leader from the time when I was young until now. 3 Look at me. I stand here where the Lord and his chosen king can see me. Speak now if I have done any wrong thing against you. Have I taken anyone's cow or anyone's donkey? Have I cheated anyone? Have I been cruel to anyone? Have I received bribes from anyone to say that they are not guilty? If I have done any of those things, tell me! Then I will pay back my debt.’
4 The Israelites answered, ‘You have not cheated us. You have not been cruel to us. You have not robbed any of us.’
5 Samuel said to them, ‘The Lord and his chosen king have heard what you have said today. They know that I have not done a wrong thing against any of you.’
The people replied, ‘Yes, the Lord knows what we have said.’
6 Then Samuel said to the people, ‘The Lord chose Moses and Aaron to lead his people. He brought your ancestors out from Egypt. 7 You must stand up now for the Lord to judge you. You need to remember all the great things that the Lord has done to help you and your ancestors. 8 After Jacob and his family went to Egypt, your ancestors called to the Lord for help. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron to help them. They led your ancestors out of Egypt. They brought them to live here in this land. 9 But your ancestors forgot about the Lord their God. So he let their enemies win against them. Sisera led an army from Hazor to attack the Israelites. The Philistines and the king of Moab also attacked them. 10 Then the Israelites called out to the Lord for help. They said, “We have done bad things. We have turned away from the Lord and we have worshipped idols of Baal and images of Ashtoreth. [ a ] Please save us from our enemies and we will worship you.” 11 So the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel to help you. The Lord saved you from all your enemies so that you could live safely.
12 But then you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was coming to attack you. So you said to me, “Now we want a king to rule over us.” You forgot that the Lord your God is your king. 13 Look! Here is the king that you chose. He is the man that you asked to have. The Lord has made him your king. 14 You must respect the Lord with fear. You must obey what he commands you to do. You and the king who rules over you must serve only the Lord your God. If you do that, everything will go well for you. 15 But the Lord will punish you and your king if you do not obey him. You must not turn against him again.
16 Now stand where you are and watch! The Lord will do a great thing and you will see it. 17 This is the time of the wheat harvest. [ b ] I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will understand that you have done an evil thing against the Lord . You asked for a king to rule over you.’
18 Samuel prayed to the Lord . That same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. All the people became afraid of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 They said to Samuel, ‘Please pray to the Lord your God for us. We do not want to die! We realize that we have done many bad things in past times. Now we have added to those sins when we asked to have a king.’
20 Samuel said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. It is true that you have done an evil thing. But do not turn away from the Lord . Instead, serve him with all your strength. 21 Do not worship idols. They are useless things. They cannot help you. They will never save you. 22 The Lord was pleased to choose you to be his own people. He will show that he is faithful and he will not leave you alone. 23 As for me, I will not stop praying for you. That would be a sin against the Lord . I will teach you how to live in the right way. 24 But you must respect and obey the Lord . You must serve him faithfully with all your strength. Remember the great things that he has done for you. 25 If you continue to do evil things, that will be the end of you and your king.’
12 Samuel said to all Israel: “I have done everything you wanted me to do. I have put a king over you. 2 Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and gray, but my sons are here with you. I have been your leader since I was young. 3 Here I am. If I have done anything wrong, you must tell these things to the Lord and his chosen king. [ a ] Did I steal anyone’s ox or donkey? Did I hurt or cheat anyone? Did I ever take money, or even a pair of sandals, to do something wrong? If I did any of these things, I will make it right.”
4 The Israelites answered, “No, you never did anything bad to us. You never cheated us or took things from us.”
5 Samuel said to the Israelites, “The Lord and his chosen king are witnesses today. They heard what you said—that you found nothing wrong with me.” The people answered, “Yes, the Lord is witness!”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “The Lord has seen what happened. He is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt. 7 Now, stand there. I will accuse you before the Lord and I will tell you about [ b ] the good things the Lord did for you and your ancestors.
8 “Jacob went to Egypt. Later, the Egyptians made life hard for his descendants. So they cried to the Lord for help. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they took your ancestors out of Egypt and led them to live in this place.
9 “But your ancestors forgot the Lord their God. So he let them become the slaves of Sisera, the commander of the army at Hazor. Then the Lord let them become the slaves of the Philistines and the king of Moab. They all fought against your ancestors. 10 But your ancestors cried to the Lord for help. They said, ‘We have sinned. We left the Lord , and we served the false gods Baal and Ashtoreth. But now save us from our enemies, and we will serve you.’
11 “So the Lord sent Gideon, [ c ] Barak, [ d ] Jephthah, and Samuel. [ e ] He saved you from your enemies around you, and you lived in safety. 12 But then you saw King Nahash of the Ammonites coming to fight against you. You said, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us!’ You said that, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13 Now, here is the king you chose. The Lord put this king over you. 14 You must fear and respect the Lord . You must serve him and obey his commands. You must not turn against him. You and the king ruling over you must follow the Lord your God. If you do, God will save you. [ f ] 15 But if you don’t listen to the Lord , if you refuse to do what the Lord says, he will be against you. The Lord will destroy you and your king.
16 “Now stand still and see the great thing the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 Now is the time of the wheat harvest. [ g ] I will pray to the Lord and ask him to send thunder and rain. Then you will know you did a very bad thing against the Lord when you asked for a king.”
18 So Samuel prayed to the Lord . That same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. And the people became very afraid of the Lord and Samuel. 19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants. Don’t let us die! We have sinned many times. And now we have added to these sins—we have asked for a king.”
20 Samuel answered, “Don’t be afraid. It is true that you did all these bad things, but don’t stop following the Lord . Serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Idols are only statues—they can’t help you. So don’t worship them. Idols can’t help you or save you. They are nothing!
22 “But the Lord won’t leave his people. No, the Lord was pleased to make you his own people. So for his own good name, he won’t leave you. 23 And as for me, I would never stop praying for you. If I stopped praying for you, I would be sinning against the Lord . I will continue to teach you the right way to live a good life. 24 But you must honor the Lord . You must serve him sincerely with all your heart. Remember the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you are stubborn and do evil, God will throw you and your king away, like dirt swept out with a broom.”
12 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord , and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
5 And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord , which he did to you and to your fathers.
8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord , then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
9 And when they forgat the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
10 And they cried unto the Lord , and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord , and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king.
13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you.
14 If ye will fear the Lord , and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord , then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:
15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord , but rebel against the commandment of the Lord , then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.
17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord , and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord , in asking you a king.
18 So Samuel called unto the Lord ; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord , but serve the Lord with all your heart;
21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
24 Only fear the Lord , and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, ( A ) I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I ( B ) have appointed a king over you. 2 Now, ( C ) here is the king walking before you, but as for me, ( D ) I am old and gray, and ( E ) my sons are here with you. And ( F ) I have walked before you since my youth to this day. 3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and ( G ) His anointed. ( H ) Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or ( I ) from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you.” 4 And they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from anyone’s hand.” 5 So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that ( J ) you have found nothing ( K ) in my hand.” And they said, “ He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who [ a ] ( L ) appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now then, take your stand, ( M ) so that I may enter into judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord that He did for you and your fathers. 8 ( N ) When Jacob went into Egypt and ( O ) your fathers cried out to the Lord , then ( P ) the Lord sent Moses and Aaron [ b ] ( Q ) who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But ( R ) they forgot the Lord their God, so ( S ) He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and ( T ) into the hand of the Philistines, and ( U ) into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 ( V ) They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have abandoned the Lord and have served ( W ) the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but ( X ) now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 Then the Lord sent ( Y ) Jerubbaal, [ c ] ( Z ) Bedan, ( AA ) Jephthah, and ( AB ) Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.
12 But when you saw ( AC ) that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, ‘ ( AD ) No, but a king shall reign over us!’ ( AE ) Yet the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now, ( AF ) behold, the king whom you have chosen, ( AG ) whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has [ d ] put a king over you. 14 ( AH ) If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the [ e ] command of the Lord , then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15 But ( AI ) if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord , but rebel against the [ f ] command of the Lord , then ( AJ ) the hand of the Lord will be against you, ( AK ) even as it was against your fathers. 16 Even now, ( AL ) take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is going to do before your eyes. 17 ( AM ) Is it not the wheat harvest today? ( AN ) I will call to the Lord , that He will send [ g ] thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that ( AO ) your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord , by asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called to the Lord , and the Lord sent [ h ] thunder and rain that day; and ( AP ) all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “ ( AQ ) Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins ( AR ) this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.” 20 Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet ( AS ) do not turn aside from following the Lord , but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after ( AT ) useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless. 22 For ( AU ) the Lord will not abandon His people ( AV ) on account of His great name, because the Lord ( AW ) has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23 Furthermore, as for me, ( AX ) far be it from me that I would sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but ( AY ) I will instruct you in the good and right way. 24 ( AZ ) Only [ i ] fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider ( BA ) what great things He has done for you. 25 ( BB ) But if you still do evil, ( BC ) both you and your king ( BD ) will be swept away.”
12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened ( A ) to everything you said to me and have set a king ( B ) over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader. ( C ) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons ( D ) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. ( E ) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey ( F ) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe ( G ) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done ( H ) any of these things, I will make it right.” ( I )
4 “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”
5 Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness ( J ) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything ( K ) in my hand. ( L ) ”
“He is witness,” they said.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought ( M ) your ancestors up out of Egypt. 7 Now then, stand ( N ) here, because I am going to confront ( O ) you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts ( P ) performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.
8 “After Jacob ( Q ) entered Egypt, they cried ( R ) to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent ( S ) Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 “But they forgot ( T ) the Lord their God; so he sold them ( U ) into the hand of Sisera, ( V ) the commander of the army of Hazor, ( W ) and into the hands of the Philistines ( X ) and the king of Moab, ( Y ) who fought against them. 10 They cried ( Z ) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken ( AA ) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. ( AB ) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, [ a ] ( AC ) Barak, [ b ] ( AD ) Jephthah ( AE ) and Samuel, [ c ] ( AF ) and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12 “But when you saw that Nahash ( AG ) king ( AH ) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule ( AI ) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king ( AJ ) you have chosen, the one you asked ( AK ) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear ( AL ) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel ( AM ) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord , and if you rebel against ( AN ) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
16 “Now then, stand still ( AO ) and see ( AP ) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest ( AQ ) now? I will call ( AR ) on the Lord to send thunder ( AS ) and rain. ( AT ) And you will realize what an evil ( AU ) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”
18 Then Samuel called on the Lord , ( AV ) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe ( AW ) of the Lord and of Samuel.
19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray ( AX ) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, ( AY ) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; ( AZ ) yet do not turn away from the Lord , but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless ( BA ) idols. ( BB ) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake ( BC ) of his great name ( BD ) the Lord will not reject ( BE ) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make ( BF ) you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray ( BG ) for you. And I will teach ( BH ) you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear ( BI ) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; ( BJ ) consider ( BK ) what great ( BL ) things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist ( BM ) in doing evil, both you and your king ( BN ) will perish.” ( BO )
