1Sa 12 | ABEn | STEP | And Samuel said to every man of Israel, Behold, I hearkened to your voice in all as many things as you said to me, and I gave reign over you a king.

1 Samuel 12

CHAPTER 12 Samuel's Discourse

1 And Samuel said to every man of Israel, Behold, I hearkened to your voice in all as many things as you said to me, and I gave reign over you a king. 2 And now, behold, the king travels before you. And I grow old and shall sit. And behold, my sons are among you. And I, behold, I have gone before you from my youth, and until this day. 3 Behold, I am here. You should respond against me before the lord, and before his anointed one. Whose calf have I taken? or whose donkey have I taken? or who of you have I tyrannized over? or who have I pressured? or from out of whose hand have I taken an appeasement, or a sandal? Should you respond to me, then I will give it back to you. 4 And they said to Samuel, You did not wrong us, and you did not tyrannize over us, and you have not taken from [²hand ¹anyone's] -- not one thing. 5 And Samuel said to the people, The lord is witness among you, and [²is witness ¹his anointed one] in this day, that you have not found in my hand anything. And they said, He is witness. 6 And Samuel said to the people, saying, The lord is witness, the one preparing Moses and Aaron, and the one leading our fathers out of Egypt. 7 And now stand, and I will adjudicate for you before the lord, and I will report to you all the righteousness of the lord, which he did to you, and to your fathers, 8 as [⁴entered ¹Jacob ²and ³his sons] into Egypt, and [²humbled ³them ¹Egypt]. And [²yelled ¹our fathers] to the lord, and the lord sent Moses and Aaron. And he led our fathers out of Egypt, and settled them in this place. 9 And they forgot the lord their God, and he gave them into the hands of Sisera commander-in-chief of Jabish, king of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab; and they waged war with them. 10 And they yelled to the lord, and said, We sinned, for we abandoned the lord, and we served to the Baalim, and to the sacred groves. And now rescue us from the hand of our enemies! and we will serve you. 11 And the lord sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and rescued you round about from the hand of your enemies, and you dwell secure.

Samuel's Warning

12 And you beheld that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon came upon you, and you said, No, but only that a king shall reign over us. And the lord our God is your king. 13 And now behold, the king whom you chose and whom you acquire. And behold, the lord puts over you a king! 14 If you should fear the lord, and should serve to him, and should hearken to his voice, and should not contend with the mouth of the lord, then you should be (even you yourselves, and the king reigning over you) going after the lord your God. 15 But if you should not hearken to the voice of the lord, and should contend with the mouth of the lord, then [³will be ¹the hand ²of the lord] against you, and against your king. 16 And now, stand and behold [²thing ¹this great] which the lord will do in your eyes! 17 Is it not the harvest of wheat today? I shall call upon the lord, and he will give thundering sounds and rain. And know and behold! that great is your evil which you did before the lord, asking for yourselves a king. 18 And Samuel called upon the lord; and the lord gave sounds and rain in that day. And [⁴feared ¹all ²the ³people] the lord exceedingly, and Samuel. 19 And [⁴said ¹all ²the ³people] to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the lord your God! and in no way we should die, for we added unto all our sins this evil asking for ourselves a king. 20 And Samuel said to the people, Do not fear! You have done all this evil, except you should not turn aside from following after the lord. And serve to the lord with [²entire ³heart ¹your]! 21 And you should not turn aside after the things being nothing, which achieve nothing, and which shall not rescue, for they are nothing. 22 For [²shall not ³thrust away ¹the lord] his people because of [³name ¹his ²great]; for [²took ¹the lord] you to make for a people to himself. 23 But to me, may it not be to sin against the lord, to stop praying for you to the lord. But I will manifest to you the [⁴way ¹good ²and ³straight]. 24 Only fear the lord, and serve him in truth, and with [²entire ³heart ¹your]! For see what he magnified with you! 25 And if by evil you should do evil, then you and your king shall be added to your dead.