1 Samuel 12
English Standard Version
Samuel's Farewell Address
12 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed (A)your voice in all that you have said to me (B)and have made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king (C)walks before you, (D)and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before (E)his anointed. (F)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[a] and I will restore it to you.” 4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand.” 5 And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and (G)his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything (H)in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 And Samuel said to the people, (I)“The Lord is witness,[b] who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now 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. 8 (J)When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them,[c] (K)then your fathers cried out to the Lord and (L)the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, (M)who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 But (N)they forgot the Lord their God. (O)And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor,[d] (P)and into the hand of the Philistines, (Q)and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. 10 (R)And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord (S)and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now (T)deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11 And the Lord sent (U)Jerubbaal (V)and Barak[e] (W)and Jephthah and (X)Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12 And when you saw that (Y)Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, (Z)you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ (AA)when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now (AB)behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, (AC)the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will (AD)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. 15 But (AE)if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then (AF)the hand of the Lord will be against you and (AG)your king.[f] 16 Now therefore (AH)stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 (AI)Is it not wheat harvest today? (AJ)I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that (AK)your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, (AL)and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, (AM)“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.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet (AN)do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And (AO)do not turn aside after (AP)empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 (AQ)For the Lord will not forsake his people, (AR)for his great name's sake, because (AS)it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing (AT)to pray for you, (AU)and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 (AV)Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider (AW)what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, (AX)you shall be swept away, (AY)both you and your king.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 12:3 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks Testify against me
- 1 Samuel 12:6 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks is witness
- 1 Samuel 12:8 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks and the Egyptians oppressed them
- 1 Samuel 12:9 Septuagint the army of Jabin king of Hazor
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
- 1 Samuel 12:15 Septuagint; Hebrew fathers
1 Samuel 12
New King James Version
Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation
12 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have [a]heeded (A)your voice in all that you said to me, and (B)have made a king over you. 2 And now here is the king, (C)walking before you; (D)and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before (E)His anointed: (F)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any (G)bribe with which to (H)blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
4 And they said, (I)“You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 Then he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, (J)that you have not found anything (K)in my hand.”
And they answered, “He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, (L)“It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore, stand still, that I may (M)reason with you before the Lord concerning all the (N)righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers: 8 (O)When Jacob had gone into [b]Egypt, and your fathers (P)cried out to the Lord, then the Lord (Q)sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 And when they (R)forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of (S)Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the (T)Philistines, and into the hand of the king of (U)Moab; and they fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the Lord, and said, (V)‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord (W)and served the Baals and [c]Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 And the Lord sent [d]Jerubbaal, [e]Bedan, (X)Jephthah, and (Y)Samuel,[f] and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12 And when you saw that (Z)Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, (AA)you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when (AB)the Lord your God was your king.
13 “Now therefore, (AC)here is the king (AD)whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, (AE)the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you (AF)fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. 15 However, if you do (AG)not obey the voice of the Lord, but (AH)rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 “Now therefore, (AI)stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes: 17 Is today not the (AJ)wheat harvest? (AK)I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and (AL)rain, that you may perceive and see that (AM)your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and (AN)all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, (AO)“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”
20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; (AP)yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And (AQ)do not turn aside; (AR)for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For (AS)the Lord will not forsake (AT)His people, (AU)for His great name’s sake, because (AV)it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord (AW)in ceasing to pray for you; but (AX)I will teach you the (AY)good and the right way. 24 (AZ)Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for (BA)consider what (BB)great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, (BC)you shall be swept away, (BD)both you and your king.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 12:1 listened to
- 1 Samuel 12:8 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX adds and the Egyptians afflicted them
- 1 Samuel 12:10 Images of Canaanite goddesses
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Gideon, cf. Judg. 6:25–32; Syr. Deborah; Tg. Gideon
- 1 Samuel 12:11 LXX, Syr. Barak; Tg. Simson
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Syr. Simson
1 i Samuelit 12
Albanian Bible
12 Atëherë Samueli i tha tërë Izraelit: "Ja, unë ju dëgjova për të gjitha ato që më thatë dhe vura një mbret mbi ju.
2 Dhe tani ja, mbreti që do të shkojë para jush. Unë tashmë jam plak dhe i thinjur, dhe bijtë e mij janë midis jush, unë kam ecur para jush qysh nga rinia ime deri më sot.
3 Ja ku jam, dëshmoni kundër meje përpara Zotit dhe përpara atij që është vajosur: Kujt i kam marrë kaun? Kujt i kam marrë gomarin? Kujt i kam ngrënë hakun? Cilin kam shtypur? Nga duart e kujt kam pranuar ndonjë dhuratë që më ka zënë sytë? Unë do t’jua kthej".
4 Ata iu përgjegjën: "Ti nuk na ke ngrënë hakun, nuk na ke shtypur dhe nuk ke marrë asgjë nga duart e askujt".
5 Ai u tha atyre: "Zoti është dëshmitar kundër jush dhe i vajosuri i tij është dëshmitar në këtë ditë, që nuk gjetët asgjë në duart e mia". Ata iu përgjegjën: "Po, ai është dëshmitar!".
6 Atëherë Samueli i tha popullit: "Éshtë Zoti që i vendosi Moisiun dhe Aaronin, dhe që i nxori etërit tuaj nga Egjipti.
7 Prandaj paraqituni që unë të kem mundësi para Zotit të vë në dukje bashkë me ju veprat e drejta që Zoti ka kryer për ju dhe për etërit tuaj.
8 Pas vajtjes së Jakobit në Egjipt dhe mbas thirrjeve të etërve tuaj drejtuar Zotit, Zoti dërgoi Moisiun dhe Aaronin që i nxorën etërit tuaj nga Egjipti dhe i bëri të banojnë në këtë vend.
9 Por ata e harruan Zotin, Perëndinë e tyre, dhe ai i shiti në duart e Siseras, komandantit të ushtrisë së Hatsorit, dhe në pushtetin e Filistejve dhe të mbretit të Moabit, të cilët u shpallën luftë atyre.
10 Atëherë i thirrën Zotit dhe i thanë: "Kemi mëkatuar, sepse kemi braktisur Zotin dhe u kemi shërbyer Baalëve dhe Ashtarothëve; por tani na çliro nga duart e armiqve tanë dhe ne do të të shërbejmë ty".
11 Dhe kështu Zoti dërgoi Jerubaalin, Bedanin, Jeftin dhe Samuelin, dhe ju çliroi nga duart e armiqve tuaj që ndodheshin rreth e rrotull, dhe ju jetuat në siguri.
12 Por kur patë që Nabashi, mbret i bijve të Amonit, filloi të lëvizë kundër jush, më thatë: "Jo, një mbret duhet të sundojë mbi ne," pikërisht kur Zoti, Perëndia juaj, ishte mbreti juaj.
13 Ky është, pra, mbreti që keni zgjedhur dhe keni kërkuar; ja, Zoti ka vënë një mbret mbi ju.
14 Në qoftë se keni frikë nga Zoti, i shërbeni dhe dëgjoni zërin e tij, dhe nuk ngrini krye kundër urdhërimeve të Zotit, atëherë ju dhe mbreti që mbretëron mbi ju do të ndiqni Zotin, Perëndinë tuaj.
15 Por në rast se nuk i bindeni zërit të Zotit dhe kundërshtoni urdhërimet e tij, atëherë dora e Zotit do të ngrihet kundër jush, ashtu si është ngritur kundër etërve tuaj.
16 Prandaj tani ndaluni dhe shikoni këtë gjë të madhe që Zoti do të bëjë para syve tuaj.
17 A nuk jemi vallë në kohën e korrjes së grurit? Unë do të kërkoj ndihmën e Zotit dhe ai do të dërgojë bubullima dhe shi; kështu do të kuptoni dhe do të shihni se e keqja që keni bërë duke kërkuar një mbret për ju, është e madhe në sytë e Zotit".
18 Atëherë Samueli kërkoi ndihmën e Zotit dhe ai dërgoi atë ditë bubullima dhe shi; dhe tërë populli pati një frikë të madhe nga Zoti dhe nga Samueli.
19 Pastaj tërë populli i tha Samuelit: "Lutju Zotit, Perëndisë tënd, për shërbëtorët e tu, që të mos vdesin, sepse tërë mëkateve tona u kemi shtuar të keqen e kërkimit të një mbreti për ne".
20 Samueli iu përgjegj popullit: "Mos u frikësoni; edhe se keni bërë gjithë këtë të keqe, mos lini së ndjekuri Zotin, por shërbejini Zotit me të gjithë zemrën tuaj.
21 Mos u largoni për të ndjekur gjëra të kota, që nuk vlejnë as çlirojnë, sepse janë gjëra të kota.
22 Sepse Zoti nuk do ta braktisë popullin e tij, për hir të tij të madh, sepse i pëlqeu Zotit t’ju bëjë popullin e vet.
23 Sa për mua, mos ndodhtë kurrë që unë të mëkatoj kundër Zotit duke hequr dorë nga lutjet për ju; përkundrazi, do t’ju tregoj rrugën e mirë dhe të drejtë.
24 Vetëm kini frikë nga Zoti dhe i shërbeni besnikërisht me gjithë zemër; mbani parasysh gjërat e mëdha që ka bërë për ju.
25 Por në rast se vazhdoni të bëni të keqen, si ju ashtu dhe mbreti juaj do të flakeni tutje".
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
