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.