12:1
Samuel said to all Israel, 'I have faithfully done all that you asked of me, and have appointed you a king.
12:2
In future, the king will lead you. As for me, I am old and grey, and in any case you have my sons. I have been your leader ever since I was young until today.
12:3
Here I am. Bear witness against me before Yahweh and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I wronged or oppressed anyone? Have I taken a consideration from anyone for looking the other way? If so, I will make amends.'
12:4
They said, 'You have neither wronged nor oppressed us nor accepted anything from anyone.'
12:5
He said to them, 'Yahweh is your witness and his anointed is witness today that you have found nothing in my hands?' They replied, 'He is witness.'
12:6
Samuel then said to the people, 'Yahweh is witness, he who raised up Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors out of Egypt.
12:7
So now, stay where you are, while I plead with you before Yahweh and remind you of all the saving acts which he has done for you and for your ancestors.
12:8
After Jacob had arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians oppressed them, and your ancestors cried to Yahweh. Yahweh then sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and gave them a settled home here.
12:9
They then forgot Yahweh their God and he sold them into the power of Sisera, general of the army of Hazor, and also into the power of the Philistines and of the king of Moab, who made war on them.
12:10
They cried to Yahweh, "We have sinned," they said, "for we have deserted Yahweh and served the Baals and the Astartes. Rescue us now from the power of our enemies, and we will serve you."
12:11
Yahweh then sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He rescued you from the power of the enemies surrounding you, and you lived in security.
12:12
'But when you saw Nahash, king of the Ammonites, marching on you, you said to me, "No, we must have a king to rule us"-although Yahweh your God is your king.
12:13
So, here is the king whom you have chosen; Yahweh has appointed you a king.
12:14
If you fear and serve Yahweh and obey his voice and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who rules you follow Yahweh your God, all will be well.
12:15
But if you do not obey Yahweh's voice but rebel against his commands, Yahweh's hand will be against you and against your king.
12:16
'Stay where you are and see the wonder which Yahweh will do before your eyes.
12:17
Is it not now the wheat harvest? I shall call on Yahweh and he will send thunder and rain, so that you may clearly understand what a very wicked thing you have done, in Yahweh's eyes, by asking for a king.'
12:18
Samuel then called on Yahweh, and Yahweh sent thunder and rain the same day, and all the people held Yahweh and Samuel in great awe.
12:19
They all said to Samuel, 'Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, to save us from death; for to all our sins we have added this wrong of asking for a king.'
12:20
Samuel said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Although you have done all these wicked things, do not withdraw your allegiance from Yahweh. Instead, serve Yahweh with all your heart.
12:21
Do not transfer your allegiance to useless idols which, being useless, are futile and cannot save anybody;
12:22
Yahweh, for the sake of his great name, will not desert his people, for it has pleased Yahweh to make you his people.
12:23
For my part, far be it from me to sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you or to instruct you in the good and right way.
12:24
Fear none but Yahweh, and serve him faithfully with all your heart, bearing in mind the wonder which he has just performed. But, if you persist in wickedness, you and your king will perish.'
Previous
Next