1 Samuel 12
New Living Translation
Samuel’s Farewell Address
12 Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2 Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3 Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”
5 “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”
“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.
6 “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
8 “When the Israelites were[a] in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10 “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Gideon,[b] Bedan,[c] Jephthah, and Samuel[d] to save you, and you lived in safety.
12 “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.
14 “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”
Footnotes
- 12:8 Hebrew When Jacob was. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
- 12:11a Hebrew Jerub-baal, another name for Gideon; see Judg 6:32.
- 12:11b Greek and Syriac versions read Barak.
- 12:11c Greek and Syriac versions read Samson.
1 Samuel 12
Legacy Standard Bible
Samuel Speaks to Israel
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, (A)I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I (B)have [a]appointed a king over you. 2 So now, (C)here is the king walking before you, but (D)I am old and gray, and behold, (E)my sons are with you. And (F)I have walked before you from my youth even to this day. 3 Here I am; bear witness against me before Yahweh and (G)His anointed. (H)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or (I)from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.” 4 And they said, “You have not extorted us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5 So he said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that (J)you have found nothing (K)in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is Yahweh who [b](L)appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 So now, take your stand, (M)that I may judge you before Yahweh concerning all the righteous acts of Yahweh which He did for you and your fathers. 8 (N)When Jacob went into Egypt and (O)your fathers cried out to Yahweh, then (P)Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron [c](Q)who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But (R)they forgot Yahweh their God, so (S)He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and (T)into the hand of the Philistines and (U)into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 (V)And they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served (W)the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but (X)now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 Then Yahweh sent (Y)Jerubbaal and [d](Z)Bedan and (AA)Jephthah and (AB)Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security. 12 But you saw (AC)that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, and you said to me, ‘(AD)No, but a king shall reign over us,’ (AE)although Yahweh your God was your king. 13 So now, (AF)behold, the king whom you have chosen, (AG)whom you have asked for, and behold, Yahweh has set a king over you. 14 (AH)If you will fear Yahweh and serve Him and listen to His voice and not rebel against the [e]command of Yahweh, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow Yahweh your God. 15 (AI)But if you will not listen to the voice of Yahweh, but rebel against the [f]command of Yahweh, then (AJ)the hand of Yahweh will be against you, (AK)as it was against your fathers. 16 Even now, (AL)take your stand and see this great thing which Yahweh will do before your eyes. 17 (AM)Is it not the wheat harvest today? (AN)I will call to Yahweh, that He may send [g]thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that (AO)your wickedness is great which you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent [h]thunder and rain that day; and (AP)all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.
19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “(AQ)Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins (AR)this evil by asking for ourselves a king.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet (AS)do not turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart. 21 And you must not turn aside, for then you would go after (AT)meaningless things which cannot profit and cannot deliver, because they are meaningless. 22 For (AU)Yahweh will not abandon His people (AV)on account of His great name, because Yahweh (AW)has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, (AX)far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you; but (AY)I will instruct you in the good and upright way. 24 (AZ)Only [i]fear Yahweh and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for see (BA)what great things He has done for you. 25 (BB)But if you still do wickedly, (BC)both you and your king (BD)will be swept away.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 12:1 Lit made
- 1 Samuel 12:6 Lit made
- 1 Samuel 12:8 Lit and they brought
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Gr and Syr Barak
- 1 Samuel 12:14 Lit mouth
- 1 Samuel 12:15 Lit mouth
- 1 Samuel 12:17 Lit sounds
- 1 Samuel 12:18 Lit sounds
- 1 Samuel 12:24 Or reverence
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