1Samuel sagde derefter til folket: „Se, jeg har nu opfyldt jeres ønske og givet jer en konge.2Det er denne konge, der nu skal være jeres leder. Her står jeg med mine sønner som en gammel, gråhåret mand. Jeg har tjent jer, lige siden jeg var dreng.3Sig mig nu, mens jeg står her for Guds ansigt og foran jeres nye konge: Har jeg nogen sinde taget så meget som en okse eller et æsel fra nogen af jer? Har jeg udnyttet nogen? Har jeg undertrykt jer? Har jeg afsagt uretfærdige domme? Har jeg taget imod bestikkelse fra nogen? I så fald vil jeg betale erstatning.”4„Nej,” svarede de, „du har hverken udnyttet eller undertrykt os på nogen måde, og du har aldrig på uretfærdig vis taget noget fra os.”5„Så Herren og hans salvede konge er i dag vidner på, at ingen har noget at anklage mig for?” spurgte Samuel. „Ja, det er sandt,” svarede folket.6„Godt! Det var Herren, som udvalgte Moses og Aron,” fortsatte Samuel. „Ved deres hjælp førte han jeres forfædre ud af Egyptens land.7Jeg vil nu minde jer om, hvor mange gange Herren i sin nåde har reddet jer.8Da Jakobs efterkommere var slaver i Egypten, råbte de til Herren om hjælp, og han sendte Moses og Aron til dem for at føre dem ind i dette land.9Men det varede ikke længe, før folket havde glemt Herren, deres Gud, og derfor lod han kong Hatzors hærfører, Sisera, og filistrene og Moabs konge besejre dem.10Da råbte de igen til Herren og indrømmede, at de havde syndet ved at vende sig fra ham og i stedet dyrke afguderne Ba’al og Astarte. De bønfaldt Herren om hjælp. ‚Vi vil tilbede dig alene, hvis du bare vil frelse os fra vores fjender,’ lovede de.11Da sendte Herren Gideon, Barak, Jefta og Samson* for at frelse jer, og under deres ledelse havde I trygge kår.12Men så blev I bange for ammonitterkongen Nahash, og I kom til mig med jeres krav om at få en konge, der kunne regere over jer. Men Gud Herren var allerede jeres Konge—og det har han altid været.13Men her er den konge, I har bedt om at få. Herren har opfyldt jeres ønske og givet jer en konge.14Hvis I nu vil have ærefrygt for Herren og tjene ham, hvis I vil adlyde hans befalinger og ikke sætte jer op imod hans vilje, hvis både I og jeres konge vil følge Herren, jeres Gud, så vil det gå jer godt.15Men hvis I gør oprør imod ham og nægter at lytte til ham, vil han straffe jer, sådan som han straffede jeres forfædre.16Men se nu det under, som Herren vil gøre for øjnene af jer.17I ved, at det ikke regner her i hvedehøstens tid. Men i dag vil jeg bede Herren om at sende torden og regn for at I kan forstå, hvor stor en synd det var i Herrens øjne, at I krævede at få en konge.”18Så råbte Samuel til Herren, og Herren sendte torden og regn. Da blev folket grebet af frygt for Herren og for Samuel.19„Gå i forbøn for os, at vi ikke skal dø,” råbte de til Samuel. „Vi har syndet mange gange, og nu har vi også forlangt en konge.”20„Vær ikke bange, selvom I har begået denne synd,” beroligede Samuel dem. „Men følg nu Herren af hele jeres hjerte, så I ikke igen vender ham ryggen.21Gå ikke tilbage til de nytteløse afguder, som ikke kan hjælpe jer.22Fordi Herren er stor, står han fast på sit ord. Han vil ikke forkaste det folk, han har udvalgt som sit eget folk.23Hvad mig angår, så vil jeg ikke synde imod Herren ved at undlade at gå i forbøn for jer. Jeg vil også fortsat undervise jer om, hvad der er godt og ret.24I skal vise ærefrygt for Herren og tjene ham af hele jeres hjerte. Tænk på alle de store ting, han har gjort for jer.25Men hvis I fortsætter med at synde, vil både I og jeres konge blive udryddet.”
English Standard Version
Samuel’s Farewell Address
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.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.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* and I will restore it to you.”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.”6And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness,* who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.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,* 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.9But they forgot the Lord their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army 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 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.’11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak* and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.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.13And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you.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.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.*16Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.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.”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.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.”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.21And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.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.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.24Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
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