1 Samuel 12

1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and I have set a king over you.

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.

2 And now, behold, the king is walking before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and my sons, behold, they are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth even until this day.

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.

3 Behold, here am I; testify against me in the presence of the Lord, and in the presence of his anointed: Whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or from whose hand have I received any ransom so that I withdrew my eyes from him? and I will restore it you.

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.”

4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor hast thou oppressed us, and thou hast not taken from any man's hand the least.

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

5 And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found in my hand the least: and they answered, He is witness.

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.

6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord who did [wonders through] Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

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

7 And now stand up, that I may hold judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the benefits of the Lord, which he hath done to you and to your fathers.

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.

8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, then did your fathers cry unto the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and caused them to dwell in this place.

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.

9 And when they forgot the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sissera, the chief of the host of Chazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they made war against them.

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.

10 And they cried [then] unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served the Be'alim and the 'Ashtaroth; and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

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.’

11 And the Lord sent Yerubba'al, and Bedan, and Yiphthach, and Samuel, and he delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, so that ye dwelt safely.

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.

12 But when ye saw that Nachash the king of the children of 'Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, No; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God is your king.

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.

13 And now here is the king whom ye have chosen, whom ye have asked for! and, behold, the Lord hath set over you a king.

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

14 If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and will not rebel against the will of the Lord: then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God.

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!

15 But if ye will not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and rebel against the will of the Lord: then will the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.

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.

16 And now stand up and see this great thing, which the Lord is about doing before your eyes.

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

17 Is there not wheat-harvest today? I will call unto the Lord, and he will send thunders and rain; and ye will [thus] perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done, in the eyes of the Lord, to ask for yourselves a king.

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.”

18 And Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunders and rain on that day: and all the people feared greatly the Lord and Samuel.

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.

19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray in behalf of thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we may not die; for we have added unto all our sins yet this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.

“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.”

20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, and serve ye the Lord with all your heart;

“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.

21 And turn ye not aside; for then would ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; because they are vain.

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

22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name; because it hath pleased the Lord to make you a people unto himself.

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.

23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray in behalf of you; but I will teach you the good and the right way:

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.

24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for see what great things he hath done with you.

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

25 But if ye will in any wise do wickedly, both ye yourselves as also your king shall perish.

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