1 Samuel 12

1 Then Samuel said to all of Israel, “I have paid attention to everything you asked from me, and I have given you a king to rule over you.

And Samuel says to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice, to all that you said to me, and I cause a king to reign over you,

2 Now your king is your leader. I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have led you from the time I was a boy up to today.

and now, behold, the king is habitually walking before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, behold, they [are] with you, and I have habitually walked before you from my youth until this day.

3 I stand here before you. Bring any charges you have against me in the presence of the Lord and of his anointed one. Have I taken anyone's ox or donkey? Have I wronged anyone? Have I oppressed anyone? Have I accepted a bribe from anyone to turn a blind eye? Tell me, and I will repay you.”

Behold, here I [am]; testify against me before YHWH, and before His anointed; whose ox have I taken, and whose donkey have I taken, and whom have I oppressed; whom have I bruised, and of whose hand have I taken a ransom, and hide my eyes with it? And I restore [it] to you.”

4 “No, you have never cheated or oppressed us,” they replied, “and you have never taken anything from anyone.”

And they say, “You have not oppressed us, nor have you crushed us, nor have you taken anything from the hand of anyone.”

5 Samuel told them, “The Lord is a witness, and his anointed is a witness today, in this case involving you, that you have not found me guilty of anything.” “He is a witness,” they replied.

And he says to them, “YHWH [is] a witness against you, and His anointed [is] a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand”; and they say, “A witness.”

6 “The Lord is a witness, he who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel went on. “He led your forefathers out of the land of Egypt.

And Samuel says to the people, “YHWH [is] He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt!

7 So stand here as I present to you in the presence of the Lord the evidence of all the good things the Lord has done for you and your forefathers.

And now, station yourselves, and I judge you before YHWH, with all the righteous acts of YHWH, which He did with you, and with your fathers.

8 After Jacob had gone to Egypt, your fathers cried out to the Lord for help, and he sent Moses and Aaron to lead your forefathers out of Egypt and settle them here.

When Jacob has come to Egypt, and your fathers cry to YHWH, then YHWH sends Moses and Aaron, and they bring out your fathers from Egypt, and cause them to dwell in this place,

9 But they forgot about the Lord their God, so he abandoned them to Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab, who attacked them.

and they forget their God YHWH, and He sells them into the hand of Sisera, head of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fight against them,

10 They cried out to the Lord for help and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have rejected the Lord and worshiped the Baals and Ashtoreths. Please save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will worship you.’

and they cry to YHWH, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken YHWH, and serve the Ba‘alim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve You.

11 Then the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he saved you from your enemies who surrounded you so you could live in safety.

And YHWH sends Jerubba‘al, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivers you out of the hand of your surrounding enemies, and you dwell confidently.

12 But when you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was coming to attack you, you told me, ‘No, we want our own king,’ even though the Lord your God was your king.

And you see that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon has come against you, and you say to me, No, but a king reigns over us; and your God YHWH [is] your king!

13 So here's the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. Look—the Lord now gives him to you as your king!

And now, behold the king whom you have chosen—whom you have asked for! And behold, YHWH has placed a king over you.

14 If you honor the Lord, worship him, do what he tells you, and don't rebel against the Lord's instructions, and if both you and your king follow the Lord your God, then good!

If you fear YHWH, and have served Him, and listened to His voice, then you do not provoke the mouth of YHWH, and you have been—both you and the king who has reigned over you—after your God YHWH.

15 However, if you refuse to do what he tells you, and rebel against the Lord's instructions, then the Lord will be against you as he was against your forefathers.

And if you do not listen to the voice of YHWH—then you have provoked the mouth of YHWH, and the hand of YHWH has been against you, and against your fathers.

16 Now stand still and watch what the Lord is going to do, right before your very eyes.

Also now, station yourselves and see this great thing which YHWH is doing before your eyes;

17 Isn't it the time of wheat harvest? Well, I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will realize how very evil you were in the Lord's sight when you demanded your own king.”

is it not wheat-harvest today? I call to YHWH, and He gives voices and rain; and know and see that your evil is great which you have done in the eyes of YHWH, to ask [for] a king for yourselves.”

18 Then Samuel prayed to the Lord, and that very day the Lord sent thunder and rain. Everyone was in absolute awe of the Lord and of Samuel.

And Samuel calls to YHWH, and YHWH gives voices and rain on that day, and all the people greatly fear YHWH and Samuel;

19 “Please pray to the Lord your God for us your servants, so we will not die!” they begged Samuel. “For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for our own king.”

and all the people say to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to your God YHWH, and we do not die, for we have added evil to all our sins to ask [for] a king for ourselves.”

20 “Don't be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have indeed done all these evil things, don't give up following the Lord, but dedicate yourselves completely to worshiping him.

And Samuel says to the people, “Do not fear; you have done all this evil; only, do not turn aside from after YHWH—and you have served YHWH with all your heart,

21 Don't worship worthless idols that can't help you or save you, for they are nothing.

and you do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they [are] vain,

22 The fact is because of the kind of person the Lord is, he won't give up on his people, because he was happy to claim you as his own.

for YHWH does not leave His people, on account of His great Name; for YHWH has been pleased to make you for a people to Him.

23 As for me, how could I sin against the Lord by no longer praying for you. I will also continue to teach you the way of goodness and right.

I, also, far be it from me to sin against YHWH, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way;

24 Make sure you honor God and worship him faithfully, with complete dedication. Think of all the tremendous things he has done for you.

only, fear YHWH, and you have served Him in truth with all your heart, for see that which He has made great with you;

25 But if you continue to do what is evil, you and your king will be wiped out.”

and if you really do evil, both you and your king are consumed.”