1 Samuel 12
1 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 youth
unto this day.
3 Here I am: witness against me before Jehovah, 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 taken a ransom 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 aught of any man's hand.
5 And he said unto them, Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is
witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand. And they said, He is
witness.
6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is Jehovah that appointed Moses and Aaron,
and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before Jehovah concerning
all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which he did to you and to your fathers.
8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto Jehovah, then
Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and
made them to dwell in this place.
9 But they forgat Jehovah their God; and 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 Jehovah, and said, We have sinned, because we have
forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver
us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
11 And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and
delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and ye dwelt in
safety.
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 Jehovah your God
was your king.
13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have asked
for: and, behold, Jehovah hath set a king over you.
14 If ye will fear Jehovah, and serve him, and hearken unto his voice, and not
rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ye and also the king that
reigneth over you be followers of Jehovah your God, [well] :
15 but if ye will not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the
commandment of Jehovah, then will the hand of Jehovah be against you, as it was
against your fathers.
16 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Jehovah will do
before your eyes.
17 Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, that he may send
thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which
ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking you a king.
18 So Samuel called unto Jehovah; and Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day:
and all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel.
19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah 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 indeed done all this evil;
yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your
heart:
21 and turn ye not aside; for [then would ye go] after vain things which cannot
profit nor deliver, for they are vain.
22 For Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it
hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself.
23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in
ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
24 Only fear Jehovah, 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.