1 Samuel 12

Samuel Addresses Israel

1Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, 1I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I 2have appointed a king over you. 2Now, 3here is the king walking before you, but as for me, 4I am old and gray, and 5my sons are here with you. And 6I have walked before you since my youth to this day. 3Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and 7His anointed. 8Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or 9from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you.” 4And they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from anyone’s hand.” 5So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that 10you have found nothing 11in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

6Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who 1213appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7Now then, take your stand, 14so that I may enter into judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord that He did for you and your fathers. 815When Jacob went into Egypt and 16your fathers cried out to the Lord, then 17the Lord sent Moses and Aaron 1819who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9But 20they forgot the Lord their God, so 21He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and 22into the hand of the Philistines, and 23into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 1024They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have abandoned the Lord and have served 25the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but 26now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11Then the Lord sent 27Jerubbaal, 2829Bedan, 30Jephthah, and 31Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.

The King Confirmed

12But when you saw 32that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, ‘33No, but a king shall reign over us!’ 34Yet the Lord your God was your king. 13And now, 35behold, the king whom you have chosen, 36whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has 37put a king over you. 1438If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the 39command of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15But 40if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the 41command of the Lord, then 42the hand of the Lord will be against you, 43even as it was against your fathers. 16Even now, 44take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is going to do before your eyes. 1745Is it not the wheat harvest today? 46I will call to the Lord, that He will send 47thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that 48your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord, by asking for yourselves a king.” 18So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent 49thunder and rain that day; and 50all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19Then all the people said to Samuel, “51Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins 52this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.” 20Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet 53do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after 54useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless. 22For 55the Lord will not abandon His people 56on account of His great name, because the Lord 57has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23Furthermore, as for me, 58far be it from me that I would sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but 59I will instruct you in the good and right way. 2460Only 61fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider 62what great things He has done for you. 2563But if you still do evil, 64both you and your king 65will be swept away.”