1 Samuel 12

1 Forsothe Samuel seide to al Israel, Lo! Y herde youre vois bi alle thingis whiche ye spaken to me, and Y ordeynede a kyng on you;

Samuel said to all Israel, "Look, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.

2 and now the king goith bifor you. Sotheli Y wexide eld and hoor; forsothe my sones ben with you; therfor Y lyuyde bifor you fro my yong wexynge age `til to this dai. And lo!

Now, look, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and look, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth to this day.

3 Y am redi; speke ye to me bifor the Lord, and bifor `the crist of hym; whether Y took `the oxe of ony man, ether the asse; if Y falsly chalengide ony mon; yf Y oppresside ony man; if Y took yifte of `the hond of ony man; and Y schal `dispise it to dai, and Y schal restore to you.

Here I am. Testify against me before the LORD, and before his anointed. 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, or a shoe? Testify against me, and I will restore it to you."

4 And thei seiden, Thou hast not falsly chalengid vs, nether hast oppressid vs, nether hast take ony thing of `the hond of ony man.

They said, "You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand."

5 And he seide to hem, The Lord is witnesse ayens you, and his crist is witnesse in this day; for ye han not founde ony thing in myn hond. And thei seiden, Witnesse.

He said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." They said, "He is witness."

6 And Samuel seide to the puple, The Lord, that made Moises and Aaron, and ledde youre fadris out of the lond of Egipt, is present;

Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of Egypt.

7 now therfor stonde ye, that Y stryue bi doom ayens you bifor the Lord, of alle the mercyes of the Lord, whiche he dide with you, and with youre fadris.

Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before the LORD and will recount for you all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

8 Hou Jacob entride in to Egipt, and youre fadris crieden to the Lord; and the Lord sente Moises and Aaron, and ledde youre fadris out of Egipt, and settide hem in this place.

"When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, and your fathers cried to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place.

9 Whiche foryaten her Lord God; and he bitook hem in the hond of Sisara, maystir of the chyualrie of Asor, and in the hond of Filisteis, and in the hond of the kyng of Moab; and thei fouyten ayens hem.

"But they forgot the LORD their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.

10 Sotheli afterward thei crieden to the Lord, and seiden, We synneden, for we forsoken the Lord, and seruyden Baalym and Astroth; now therfor delyuere thou vs fro `the hond of oure enemyes, and we schulen serue thee.

And they cried to the LORD, and they said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'

11 And the Lord sente Gerobaal, and `Bedan, that is, Sampson, and Barach, and Jepte, and Samuel, and delyuerede you fro the hond of youre enemyes bi cumpass; and ye dwelliden tristili.

The LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived in safety.

12 Forsothe ye sien, that Naas, kyng of the sones of Amon, cam ayens you; and ye seiden to me, counseilynge to axe noon other kyng than God, Nay, but a kyng schal comaunde to vs; whanne `youre Lord God regnede in you.

"When you saw that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us;' when the LORD your God was your king.

13 Now therfor youre kyng is redi, whom ye han chose and axid; lo! the Lord yaf to you a kyng.

Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for: and look, the LORD has set a king over you.

14 If ye dreden the Lord, and seruen hym, and heren his vois, and wraththen not the `mouth of the Lord; ye and youre kyng, that comaundith to you, schulen sue youre Lord God.

If you will fear the LORD, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and both you and also the king who reigns over you are followers of the LORD your God, then he will rescue you.

15 Forsothe if ye heren not the vois of `the Lord, but wraththen his word, the hond of the Lord schal be on you, and on youre fadris.

But if you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, and against your king to destroy you.

16 But also now stonde ye, and se this gret thing which the Lord schal make in youre siyt.

"Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.

17 Whether heruest of whete is not `to dai? I schal inwardli clepe the Lord, and he schal yyue voices, `that is, thundris, and reynes; and ye schulen wite, and schulen se, for ye axynge a kyng on you han do greuouse yuel to you in the siyt of the Lord.

Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking for a king."

18 And Samuel criede to the Lord, and the Lord yaf voices and reynes in that dai.

So Samuel called to the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

19 And al the puple dredde greetli the Lord and Samuel; and al the puple seide to Samuel, Preye thou for thi seruauntis to thi Lord God, that we die not; for we addiden yuel to alle oure synnes, that we axiden a kyng to vs.

All the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask us a king."

20 Forsothe Samuel seide to the puple, `Nyle ye drede; ye han do al this yuel; netheles `nyle ye go awey fro the bak of the Lord, but serue ye the Lord in al youre herte;

Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

21 and nyle ye bowe aftir veyn thingis, that schulen not profite to you, nether schulen delyuere you; for tho ben veyn thingis.

Do not turn aside to go after vain things which can't profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

22 And the Lord schal not forsake his puple for his grete name; for the Lord swoor to make you a puple to hym silf.

For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people to himself.

23 Forsothe this synne be fer fro me in the Lord, that Y ceesse to preye for you; and Y schal teche you a riytful weie and good.

Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

24 Therfor drede ye the Lord, and `serue ye hym in treuthe, and of al youre herte; for ye sien tho grete thingis, whiche he `dide in you;

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.

25 that if ye contynuen in malice, bothe ye and youre kyng schulen perische to gidere.

But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king."