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撒母耳自白于民众

12 撒母耳以色列众人说:“你们向我所求的,我已应允了,为你们立了一个王。 现在有这王在你们前面行。我已年老发白,我的儿子都在你们这里。我从幼年直到今日都在你们前面行。 我在这里,你们要在耶和华和他的受膏者面前给我作见证:我夺过谁的牛,抢过谁的驴,欺负过谁,虐待过谁,从谁手里受过贿赂因而眼瞎呢?若有,我必偿还。” 众人说:“你未曾欺负我们,虐待我们,也未曾从谁手里受过什么。” 撒母耳对他们说:“你们在我手里没有找着什么,有耶和华和他的受膏者今日为证。”他们说:“愿他为证。”

撒母耳对百姓说:“从前立摩西亚伦,又领你们列祖出埃及地的是耶和华。 现在你们要站住,等我在耶和华面前对你们讲论耶和华向你们和你们列祖所行一切公义的事。 从前雅各到了埃及,后来你们列祖呼求耶和华,耶和华就差遣摩西亚伦领你们列祖出埃及,使他们在这地方居住。 他们却忘记耶和华他们的神,他就把他们付于夏琐将军西西拉的手里,和非利士人并摩押王的手里,于是这些人常来攻击他们。 10 他们就呼求耶和华说:‘我们离弃耶和华,侍奉巴力亚斯她录,是有罪了。现在求你救我们脱离仇敌的手,我们必侍奉你。’ 11 耶和华就差遣耶路巴力比但耶弗他撒母耳救你们脱离四围仇敌的手,你们才安然居住。 12 你们见亚扪人的王拿辖来攻击你们,就对我说:‘我们定要一个王治理我们。’其实耶和华你们的神是你们的王。 13 现在,你们所求所选的王在这里。看哪,耶和华已经为你们立王了! 14 你们若敬畏耶和华,侍奉他,听从他的话,不违背他的命令,你们和治理你们的王也都顺从耶和华你们的神,就好了。 15 倘若不听从耶和华的话,违背他的命令,耶和华的手必攻击你们,像从前攻击你们列祖一样。 16 现在你们要站住,看耶和华在你们眼前要行一件大事。 17 这不是割麦子的时候吗?我求告耶和华,他必打雷降雨,使你们又知道又看出,你们求立王的事是在耶和华面前犯大罪了。” 18 于是撒母耳求告耶和华,耶和华就在这日打雷降雨,众民便甚惧怕耶和华和撒母耳

19 众民对撒母耳说:“求你为仆人们祷告耶和华你的神,免得我们死亡,因为我们求立王的事正是罪上加罪了。” 20 撒母耳对百姓说:“不要惧怕!你们虽然行了这恶,却不要偏离耶和华,只要尽心侍奉他。 21 若偏离耶和华,去顺从那不能救人的虚神,是无益的。 22 耶和华既喜悦选你们做他的子民,就必因他的大名不撇弃你们。 23 至于我,断不停止为你们祷告,以致得罪耶和华。我必以善道正路指教你们。 24 只要你们敬畏耶和华,诚诚实实地尽心侍奉他,想念他向你们所行的事何等大。 25 你们若仍然作恶,你们和你们的王必一同灭亡。”

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened(A) to everything you said to me and have set a king(B) over you. Now you have a king as your leader.(C) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons(D) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.(E) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey(F) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe(G) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done(H) any of these things, I will make it right.”(I)

“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness(J) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything(K) in my hand.(L)

“He is witness,” they said.

Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought(M) your ancestors up out of Egypt. Now then, stand(N) here, because I am going to confront(O) you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts(P) performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

“After Jacob(Q) entered Egypt, they cried(R) to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent(S) Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

“But they forgot(T) the Lord their God; so he sold them(U) into the hand of Sisera,(V) the commander of the army of Hazor,(W) and into the hands of the Philistines(X) and the king of Moab,(Y) who fought against them. 10 They cried(Z) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken(AA) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.(AB) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[a](AC) Barak,[b](AD) Jephthah(AE) and Samuel,[c](AF) 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(AG) king(AH) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule(AI) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king(AJ) you have chosen, the one you asked(AK) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear(AL) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel(AM) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against(AN) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

16 “Now then, stand still(AO) and see(AP) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest(AQ) now? I will call(AR) on the Lord to send thunder(AS) and rain.(AT) And you will realize what an evil(AU) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

18 Then Samuel called on the Lord,(AV) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe(AW) of the Lord and of Samuel.

19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray(AX) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,(AY) 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;(AZ) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless(BA) idols.(BB) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake(BC) of his great name(BD) the Lord will not reject(BE) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make(BF) you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray(BG) for you. And I will teach(BH) you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear(BI) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;(BJ) consider(BK) what great(BL) things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist(BM) in doing evil, both you and your king(BN) will perish.”(BO)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 12:11 Also called Gideon
  2. 1 Samuel 12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
  3. 1 Samuel 12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson

12 Samuel then said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and have appointed a king over you.

“Now, therefore, behold! Your king walks before you. And I am old and grayheaded. And behold, my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

“Behold, here I am. Bear record of me before the LORD and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or, whose donkey have I taken? Or, to whom have I done wrong? Or, whom have I hurt? Or, of whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? And I will restore it you.”

Then they said, “You have done us no wrong. Nor have you hurt us. Nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”

And he said to them, “The LORD is Witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hands.” And they answered, “Witness!”

Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD Who made Moses and Aaron, and Who brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt.

“Now, therefore, stand still, so that I may reason with you before the LORD, according to all the righteousness of the LORD which He showed to you and to your fathers.

“After Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to the LORD, the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

“And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain 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.

10 “And they cried to the LORD, and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken the LORD and have served Baal and Ashtoreth! Now, therefore, deliver us out of the hands of our enemies and we will serve You!’

11 “Therefore, the LORD sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hands of your enemies on every side. And you dwelled safely.

12 “Nevertheless, when you saw that Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, came against you, you said to me, ‘No! But a king shall reign over us!’ When the LORD your God was still your King.

13 “Now, therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have desired. Lo, therefore, the LORD has set a king over you.

14 “If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and hear His Voice, and not disobey the Word of the LORD, both you and the king who reigns over you shall follow the LORD your God.

15 “But if you will not obey the Voice of the LORD, but disobey the LORD’s Mouth, then the Hand of the LORD shall be upon you and on your fathers.

16 “Now, also, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes.

17 “Is it not now wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD; and He shall send thunder and rain, so that you may perceive and see how great your wickedness is which you have done in the sight of the LORD in asking for a king for yourselves.”

18 Then Samuel called to the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain the same day. And all the people feared the LORD, and Samuel, exceedingly.

19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we do not die. For we have sinned in asking for a king for ourselves, in addition to all our other sins.”

20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear! You have indeed done all this wickedness. Still, do not depart from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart!

21 “Do not turn back, either! For that would be after meaningless things which cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are but empty.

22 “For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great Name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.

23 “Moreover, may it never be that I should sin against the LORD and cease praying for you! But I will show you the good and right way.

24 “Therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in the truth with all your hearts, and consider what great things He has done for you.

25 “But if you do wickedly, you shall perish, both you and your king.”