1Samuel habló al pueblo: ―Bien, ya los he complacido: Les he dado un rey,2mis hijos son parte del pueblo, y yo ya estoy viejo y lleno de canas y los he estado sirviendo desde que era un niño.3Ahora, díganme mientras estoy delante del SEÑOR y delante de su ungido: ¿He robado a alguien un buey o un burro? ¿He defraudado alguna vez a alguno de ustedes? ¿Los he oprimido alguna vez? ¿He recibido soborno de alguien? Díganmelo y rectificaré todo lo malo que haya hecho.4―No —contestaron—, jamás has defraudado ni oprimido a nadie y jamás has recibido soborno.5―El SEÑOR y el rey que ha ungido son mis testigos —declaró Samuel— de que no pueden acusarme de haberles robado. ―Sí, son testigos —contestaron.6―Fue el SEÑOR quien designó a Moisés y a Aarón y sacó de Egipto a nuestros antepasados —continuó Samuel—.7Ahora, permanezcan de pie delante del SEÑOR mientras les hago un recuento de los beneficios que él nos ha hecho a nosotros y a nuestros antepasados, y de lo mal que le hemos respondido:8»Después de que Jacob entró a Egipto, los israelitas clamaron al SEÑOR, él envió a Moisés y a Aarón para que los introdujeran en esta tierra.9Pero pronto se olvidaron del SEÑOR su Dios, y él los entregó en manos de Sísara, general del ejército de Jabín, rey de Jazor, y en manos de los filisteos y del rey de Moab.10Ellos clamaron al SEÑOR nuevamente y confesaron que habían pecado apartándose de él y adorando a Baal y a Astarté. Y suplicaron: “Solamente a ti te adoraremos si nos salvas de nuestros enemigos”.11Y el SEÑOR envió a Gedeón, Barac, Jefté y Samuel para que los salvaran y ustedes vivieran seguros.12»Cuando tuvieron miedo de Najás, rey de Amón, vinieron y me dijeron que deseaban que un rey los gobernara. Pero el SEÑOR nuestro Dios era nuestro rey, porque él siempre lo había sido.13Bien, este es el rey que ustedes pidieron. Mírenlo. El SEÑOR les ha contestado su petición.14Ahora, si temen al SEÑOR y lo adoran y prestan atención a todos sus mandamientos, y si ustedes y el rey siguen fieles a su Dios, todo irá bien.15Pero si se rebelan contra los mandamientos del SEÑOR, su mano caerá pesadamente sobre ustedes como ocurrió con sus antepasados.16»Ahora fíjense en la maravilla que el SEÑOR va a realizar.17Ustedes saben que no suele llover durante la cosecha del trigo. Oraré que el SEÑOR envíe truenos y lluvia hoy, para que comprendan el mal que han cometido al pedir un rey.18Entonces Samuel invocó al SEÑOR, y él envió truenos y lluvia. Y el pueblo sintió mucho temor del SEÑOR y de Samuel.19―Ora para que no muramos —lloraron delante de Samuel—, porque ahora hemos añadido a todos nuestros pecados el de pedir un rey.20―No teman —los animó Samuel—. Ciertamente han hecho mal, pero al menos no desistan de seguir al SEÑOR y sírvanle con todo el corazón.21Los otros dioses no los pueden ayudar porque son falsos.22El SEÑOR no abandonará a su pueblo escogido, porque ello deshonraría su gran nombre. Él los ha hecho una nación especial simplemente porque él lo ha querido.23En cuanto a mí, lejos esté de mí el pecar contra el SEÑOR dejando de orar por ustedes. Yo les seguiré enseñando lo que es bueno y correcto.24Confíen en él y adórenlo con sinceridad. Piensen en las grandes cosas que ha hecho por ustedes.25Pero si siguen pecando, ustedes y el rey serán destruidos.
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. (1 S 8:5; 1 S 8:19; 1 S 10:24; 1 S 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. (Nm 27:17; 1 S 8:1; 1 S 8:5; 1 S 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; Nm 16:15; 1 S 10:1; 1 S 24:6; 1 S 26:9; 1 S 26:11; 1 S 26:16; 2 S 1:14; 2 S 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; 1 S 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. (Miq 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. (Gn 46:5; Ex 2:23; Ex 3:10; Ex 4:14; 1 S 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. (Jue 3:7; Jue 3:12; Jue 3:31; Jue 4:2; Jue 10:7; Jue 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.’ (Jue 2:13; Jue 3:9; Jue 10:10; Jue 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. (Jue 4:6; Jue 4:8; Jue 4:10; Jue 6:14; Jue 6:32; Jue 11:1; 1 S 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. (Jue 8:23; 1 S 8:5; 1 S 8:7; 1 S 8:19; 1 S 10:19; 1 S 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. (1 S 9:16; 1 S 10:24; Os 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. (Dt 6:2; Jos 24:14; 1 S 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] (Lv 26:14; Dt 28:15; Jos 24:20; 1 S 5:9; 1 S 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.” (1 S 7:9; 1 S 8:7; Pr 26:1; Stg 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; Esd 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; 1 S 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. (Dt 11:16)21And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. (1 S 12:20; Jer 16:19; Hab 2:18; 1 Co 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. (Dt 7:7; Dt 14:2; Jos 7:9; 1 R 6:13; 1 R 8:57; Sal 94:14; Sal 106:8; Jer 14:21; Ez 20:9; Ez 20:14; Ez 20:22; 1 P 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. (1 S 12:19; 1 R 8:36; 2 Cr 6:27; Sal 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. (Dt 10:21; 1 S 12:14; Sal 126:2; Ec 12:13)25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” (Nm 16:26; Dt 28:36; Jos 24:20)