1And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. (1Sa 8:5; 1Sa 8:19; 1Sa 10:24; 1Sa 11:14)2And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. (Nu 27:17; 1Sa 8:1; 1Sa 8:5; 1Sa 8:20)3Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me[1] and I will restore it to you.” (Ex 20:17; Nu 16:15; 1Sa 10:1; 1Sa 24:6; 1Sa 26:9; 1Sa 26:11; 1Sa 26:16; 2Sa 1:14; 2Sa 1:16)4They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”5And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.” (Ex 21:16; Ex 22:4; 1Sa 12:3)6And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness,[2] who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. (Mic 6:4)7Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers.8When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them,[3] then your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. (Ge 46:5; Ex 2:23; Ex 3:10; Ex 4:14; 1Sa 10:18)9But they forgot the Lord their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor,[4] and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. (Jud 3:7; Jud 3:12; Jud 3:31; Jud 4:2; Jud 10:7; Jud 13:1)10And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ (Jud 2:13; Jud 3:9; Jud 10:10; Jud 10:15)11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak[5] and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. (Jud 4:6; Jud 4:8; Jud 4:10; Jud 6:14; Jud 6:32; Jud 11:1; 1Sa 7:10)12And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. (Jud 8:23; 1Sa 8:5; 1Sa 8:7; 1Sa 8:19; 1Sa 10:19; 1Sa 11:1)13And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. (1Sa 9:16; 1Sa 10:24; Ho 13:11)14If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. (De 6:2; Jos 24:14; 1Sa 12:24)15But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.[6] (Le 26:14; De 28:15; Jos 24:20; 1Sa 5:9; 1Sa 12:9)16Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. (Ex 14:13)17Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” (1Sa 7:9; 1Sa 8:7; Pr 26:1; Jas 5:16)18So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. (Ex 14:31; Ezr 10:9)19And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” (Ex 9:28; Ex 10:17; 1Sa 12:23; Jer 15:1)20And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. (De 11:16)21And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. (1Sa 12:20; Jer 16:19; Hab 2:18; 1Co 8:4)22For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. (De 7:7; De 14:2; Jos 7:9; 1Ki 6:13; 1Ki 8:57; Ps 94:14; Ps 106:8; Jer 14:21; Eze 20:9; Eze 20:14; Eze 20:22; 1Pe 2:9)23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. (1Sa 12:19; 1Ki 8:36; 2Ch 6:27; Ps 27:11; Pr 4:11; Jer 6:16)24Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. (De 10:21; 1Sa 12:14; Ps 126:2; Ec 12:13)25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” (Nu 16:26; De 28:36; Jos 24:20)
1 Samuel 12
New International Version
Samuel’s farewell speech
1Samuel said to all Israel, ‘I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you.2Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and grey, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day.3Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.’4‘You have not cheated or oppressed us,’ they replied. ‘You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.’5Samuel said to them, ‘The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.’ ‘He is witness,’ they said.6Then Samuel said to the people, ‘It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt.7Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.8‘After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.9‘But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hands of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.10They cried out to the Lord and said, “We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.”11Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[1] Barak,[2] Jephthah and Samuel,[3] 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 king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, “No, we want a king to rule over us” – even though the Lord your God was your king.13Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.14If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God – good!15But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.16‘Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!17Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realise what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.’18Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.19The people all said to Samuel, ‘Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, 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; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.21Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.22For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.24But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.25Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.’
1 Samuel 12
King James Version
1And 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.2And 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.3Behold, 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.4And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man' hand.5And 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.6And 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.7Now 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.8When 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.9And 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.10And 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.11And 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.12And 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.13Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.14If 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:15But 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.16Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.17Is 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.18So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.19And 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.20And 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;21And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things , which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.22For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name' sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.23Moreover 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:24Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.25But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
1 Samuel 12
New International Reader’s Version
Samuel’s final speech to Israel
1Samuel spoke to all the Israelites. He said, ‘I’ve done everything you asked me to do. I’ve placed a king over you.2Now you have a king as your leader. But I’m old. My hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I’ve been your leader from the time I was young until this day.3Here I stand. Bring charges against me if you can. The LORD is a witness. And so is his anointed king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I cheated anyone? Have I treated anyone badly? Have I accepted money from anyone who wanted special favours? If I’ve done any of these things, I’ll make it right.’4‘You haven’t cheated us,’ they replied. ‘You haven’t treated us badly. You haven’t taken anything from anyone.’5Samuel said to them, ‘The LORD is a witness against you this day. And so is his anointed king. They are witnesses that I haven’t taken anything from any of you.’ ‘The LORD is a witness,’ they said.6Then Samuel said to the people, ‘The LORD appointed Moses and Aaron. He brought out of Egypt your people who lived long ago.7Now then, stand here. I’m going to remind you of all the good things the LORD has done for you and your people. He is a witness.8‘After Jacob’s family entered Egypt, they cried out to the LORD for help. The LORD sent Moses and Aaron. They brought your people out of Egypt. They had them make their homes in this land.9‘But the people forgot the LORD their God. So he put them under the control of Sisera. Sisera was the commander of the army of Hazor. The LORD also put the Israelites under the control of the Philistines and the king of Moab. All those nations fought against Israel.10So the people cried out to the LORD. They said, “We have sinned. We’ve deserted the LORD. We’ve served gods that are named Baal. We’ve served female gods that are named Ashtoreth. But save us now from the power of our enemies. Then we will serve you.”11The LORD sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and me. He saved you from the power of your enemies who were all around you. So you lived in safety.12‘But then you saw that Nahash, the king of Ammon, was about to attack you. So you said to me, “No! We want a king to rule over us.” You said it even though the LORD your God was your king.13Now here is the king you have chosen. He’s the one you asked for. The LORD has placed a king over you.14But you must have respect for the LORD. You must serve him and obey him. You must not say no to his commands. Both you and the king who rules over you must obey the LORD your God. If you do, that’s good.15But you must not disobey him. You must not say no to his commands. If you do, his power will be against you. That’s what happened to your people who lived before you.16‘So stand still. Watch the great thing the LORD is about to do right here in front of you!17It’s time to gather in the wheat, isn’t it? I’ll call out to the LORD to send thunder and rain. Then you will realise what an evil thing you did in the sight of the LORD. You shouldn’t have asked for a king.’18Samuel called out to the LORD. That same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people had great respect for the LORD and for Samuel.19They said to Samuel, ‘Pray to the LORD your God for us. Pray that we won’t die because we asked for a king. That was an evil thing to do. We added it to all our other sins.’20‘Don’t be afraid,’ Samuel replied. ‘It’s true that you have done all these evil things. But don’t turn away from the LORD. Serve him with all your heart.21Don’t turn away and worship statues of gods. They are useless. They can’t do you any good. They can’t save you either. They are completely useless.22But the LORD will be true to his great name. He won’t turn his back on his people. That’s because he was pleased to make you his own people.23I would never sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. I’ll teach you to live in a way that is good and right.24But be sure to have respect for the LORD. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart. Think about the great things he has done for you.25But don’t be stubborn. Don’t continue to do what is evil. If you do, both you and your king will be destroyed.’