1 Samuele 12
La Nuova Diodati
12 Allora Samuele disse a tutto Israele: «Ecco, io vi ho dato ascolto in tutto ciò che mi avete detto e ho costituito un re a su di voi.
2 Ed ora, ecco il re che andrà davanti a voi. Io sono ormai vecchio e canuto, e i miei figli sono tra voi; io sono andato davanti a voi dalla mia giovinezza fino a questo giorno.
3 Eccomi, testimoniate contro di me davanti all'Eterno e davanti al suo unto: A chi ho preso il bue? A chi ho preso l'asino? Chi ho defraudato? Chi ho oppresso? Dalle mani di chi ho accettato alcun regalo che mi abbia accecato gli occhi? Io ve lo restituirò».
4 Essi risposero: «Tu non ci hai defraudato, non ci hai oppresso e non hai preso nulla dalle mani di alcuno».
5 Egli disse loro: «L'Eterno è testimone contro di voi e il suo unto è testimone in questo giorno, che non avete trovato nulla nelle mie mani». Essi risposero: «Si, è testimone!».
6 Allora Samuele disse al popolo: «è l'Eterno che ha stabilito Mosè e Aaronne, e ha fatto uscire i vostri padri dal paese d'Egitto.
7 Or dunque presentatevi, perché possa davanti all'Eterno mettere in evidenza con voi tutte le opere giuste che l'Eterno ha compiuto per voi e per i vostri padri.
8 Dopo che Giacobbe andò in Egitto, e i vostri padri gridarono all'Eterno l'Eterno mandò Mosè ed Aaronne, che fecero uscire i vostri padri dall'Egitto e li fecero abitare in questo luogo
9 Ma essi dimenticarono l'Eterno, il loro DIO, ed egli li vendette nelle mani di Sisera, capo dell'esercito di Hatsor, e In potere dei Filistei e del re di Moab, i quali mossero loro guerra.
10 Allora gridarono all'Eterno e dissero: "Abbiamo peccato, perché abbiamo abbandonato l'Eterno e abbiamo servito i Baal e le Ashtaroth, ma ora liberaci dalle mani dei nostri nemici e serviremo te".
11 Così l'Eterno mandò Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jefte e Samuele, e vi liberò dalle mani dei vostri nemici tutt'intorno e viveste al sicuro.
12 Ma quando vedeste che Nahash, re dei figli di Ammon, muoveva contro di voi, mi diceste: "No, un re deve regnare su di noi", mentre l'Eterno il vostro DIO, era il vostro re.
13 Or dunque, ecco il re che avete scelto e che avete chiesto; ecco, l'Eterno ha costituito un re su di voi.
14 Se temete l'Eterno, lo servite e date ascolto alla sua voce, e non vi ribellate al comandamento dell'Eterno, allora voi e il re che regna su di voi seguirete l'Eterno, il vostro DIO.
15 Ma se non date ascolto alla voce dell'Eterno e vi ribellate al comandamento dell'Eterno, allora la mano dell'Eterno sarà contro di voi, come fu contro i vostri padri.
16 Perciò ora fermatevi e guardate questa cosa grande che l'Eterno farà davanti ai vostri occhi.
17 Non è forse il tempo della mietitura del grano? Io invocherò l'Eterno ed egli manderà tuoni e pioggia; così comprenderete e vedrete che il male che avete fatto chiedendo per voi un re è grande agli occhi dell'Eterno».
18 Allora Samuele invocò l'Eterno, e l'Eterno mandò quel giorno tuoni e pioggia; e tutto il popolo ebbe gran timore dell'Eterno e di Samuele.
19 Tutto il popolo quindi disse a Samuele: «Prega l'Eterno, il tuo DIO per i tuoi servi, affinché non abbiamo a morire, poiché abbiamo aggiunto a tutti i nostri peccati il male di chiedere per noi un re».
20 Samuele rispose al popolo: «Non temete; anche se avete fatto tutto questo male, non lasciate di seguire l'Eterno ma servite l'Eterno con tutto il vostro cuore.
21 Non allontanatevi per seguire cose vane, che non possono giovare né liberare, perché sono cose vane.
22 Poiché l'Eterno non abbandonerà il suo popolo, per amore del suo grande nome, perché è piaciuto all'Eterno di farvi il suo popolo.
23 Quanto a me, non sia mai che io pecchi contro l'Eterno smettendo di pregare per voi; anzi vi mostrerò la buona e diritta via.
24 Solo temete l'Eterno e servitelo fedelmente con tutto il cuore vostro; considerate infatti le grandi cose che ha fatto per voi.
25 Ma se continuate a fare il male, tanto voi che il vostro re sarete spazzati via».
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 Samuel 12
King James Version
12 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
5 And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers.
8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
9 And when they forgat the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host 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 unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king.
13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you.
14 If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:
15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.
17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.
18 So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart;
21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
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
Copyright © 1991 by La Buona Novella s.c.r.l.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
