1 Samũeli 12

1 Na rĩrĩ, Samũeli akĩĩra andũ a Isiraeli othe atĩrĩ, “Nĩndĩkĩtie gũthikĩrĩria ũrĩa wothe mwanjĩĩrire, na nĩndĩmũthuurĩire mũthamaki wa kũmũthamakagĩra.

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 Rĩu mũrĩ na mũthamaki wa kũmũtongoria. Hakwa-rĩ, ndĩ mũkũrũ na ngagĩa na mbuĩ, nao ariũ akwa me hamwe na inyuĩ. Ngoretwo ndĩ mũtongoria wanyu kuuma ndĩ mwĩthĩ nginya ũmũthĩ.

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 Niĩ nũngiĩ haha. Rutai ũira wa kũnyuna mũtĩ mũrĩ mbere ya Jehova, na mũrĩ mbere ya mũndũ ũyũ wake ũitĩrĩirio maguta. Nũũ ndaanatunya ndegwa yake? Nũũ ndaanatunya ndigiri yake? Nũũ ndaanaheenia? Nũũ ndaanahinyĩrĩria? Nĩ kũrĩ mũndũ o na ũ ndĩ ndaamũkĩra ihaki nĩguo nyune maitho nĩ ũndũ warĩo? Kũngĩkorwo ndaneeka ũmwe wa maya-rĩ, nĩngũmũcookeria.”

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 Nao magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Ndũrĩ watũheenia kana ũgĩtũhinyĩrĩria; ndũrĩ woya kĩndũ kuuma guoko-inĩ kwa mũndũ o na ũrĩkũ.”

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

5 Samũeli akĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Jehova nĩwe mũira ũhoro-inĩ wanyu, o na mũndũ ũyũ aitĩrĩirie maguta nĩ mũira ũmũthĩ, atĩ gũtirĩ ũndũ o na ũmwe mũngĩnjuukĩra.” Nao makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ĩĩ we nĩ mũira.”

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 Samũeli agĩcooka akĩĩra andũ atĩrĩ, “Jehova nĩwe waamũrire Musa na Harũni, na akĩambatia maithe manyu ma tene kuuma bũrũri wa Misiri.

“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 Na rĩrĩ, ta rũgamai haha, tondũ nĩngũmũciirithia na ũira mbere ya Jehova nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ ma ũthingu marĩa Jehova anamwĩkĩra inyuĩ ene o na maithe manyu.

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 “Rĩrĩa ciana cia Jakubu ciathiire Misiri, nĩmakaĩire Jehova amateithie, nake Jehova agĩtũma Musa na Harũni arĩa maarutire maithe manyu ma tene kuuma bũrũri wa Misiri, makĩmathaamĩria kũndũ gũkũ.

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 “No nĩmariganĩirwo nĩ Jehova Ngai wao; nĩ ũndũ ũcio nĩameendirie guoko-inĩ gwa Sisera, mũnene wa mbũtũ cia ita cia Hazoru, na moko-inĩ ma Afilisti, na mũthamaki wa Moabi ũrĩa warũire nao.

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 Nao magĩkaĩra Jehova makiuga atĩrĩ, ‘Nĩtwĩhĩtie; nĩtũtiganĩirie Jehova tũgatungatĩra Mabaali na Maashitarothu. No rĩu gĩtũhonokie kuuma moko-inĩ ma thũ ciitũ, na nĩtũrĩgũtungatagĩra.’

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 Jehova agĩcooka agĩtũma Jerubu-Baali, na Baraka, na Jefitha, na Samũeli, na akĩmũhonokia kuuma moko-inĩ ma thũ cianyu mĩena-inĩ yothe; nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũgĩtũũra mũtarĩ na ũgwati.

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 “No hĩndĩ ĩrĩa muonire atĩ Nahashu mũthamaki wa Amoni nĩookaga kũmũhũũra-rĩ, mũkĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ, ‘Aca, tũkwenda mũthamaki wa gũtũthamakagĩra,’ o na gwatuĩka atĩ Jehova Ngai wanyu nĩwe warĩ mũthamaki wanyu.

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 Rĩu ũyũ nĩwe mũthamaki ũrĩa mũthuurĩte, o ũrĩa mwetirie; onei, Jehova nĩarũgamĩtie mũthamaki amũthamakagĩre.

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 Mũngĩĩtigĩra Jehova, mũmũtungatĩre, na mũmwathĩkĩre, na mũtikaremere maathani make, na angĩkorwo inyuĩ na mũthamaki ũrĩa ũkũmũthamakĩra nĩmũrĩrũmagĩrĩra Jehova Ngai wanyu-rĩ, nĩ wega!

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 No mũngĩaga gwathĩkĩra Jehova, na mũremere maathani make-rĩ, guoko gwake nĩgũkamũũkĩrĩra ta ũrĩa guokĩrĩire maithe manyu.

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 “Na rĩrĩ, rũgamai muone ũndũ ũyũ mũnene Jehova akiriĩ gwĩka maitho-inĩ manyu!

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

17 Githĩ rĩu ti hĩndĩ ya magetha ma ngano? Nĩngũkaĩra Jehova atũme marurumĩ na mbura. Na inyuĩ nĩmũkamenya atĩ nĩ ũndũ mũũru mwekire maitho-inĩ ma Jehova rĩrĩa mwetirie mũthamaki.”

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 Ningĩ Samũeli agĩkaĩra Jehova, na mũthenya o ro ũcio Jehova agĩtũma marurumĩ na mbura. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ othe makĩmaka mũno nĩ ũndũ wa Jehova na wa Samũeli.

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 Nao andũ acio othe makĩĩra Samũeli atĩrĩ, “Hooya Jehova Ngai waku nĩ ũndũ wa ndungata ciaku nĩguo tũtigakue, nĩgũkorwo igũrũ rĩa mehia maitũ mothe nĩtuongereire ũũru wa gwĩtia mũthamaki.”

“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 Samũeli agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Tigai gwĩtigĩra, inyuĩ nĩmwĩkĩte ũũru ũyũ wothe; no rĩrĩ, mũtikanahutatĩre Jehova, no tungatĩrai Jehova na ngoro cianyu ciothe.

“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 Mũtikanagarũrũkĩre mĩhianano ya kũhooywo ya tũhũ. Ndĩngĩmũguna, o na ndĩngĩmũhonokia, nĩ ũndũ nĩ ya tũhũ.

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

22 Nĩ ũndũ wa rĩĩtwa rĩake inene, Jehova ndagatirika andũ ake, nĩ ũndũ Jehova nĩakenirio nĩ kũmũtua andũ ake.

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 No hakwa niĩ mwene-rĩ, ndĩroaga kwĩhĩria Jehova nĩ ũndũ wa kwaga kũmũhoera. Na nĩngũmũruta njĩra ĩrĩa njega na njagĩrĩru.

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 No mwĩtigagĩrei Jehova na mũmũtungatagĩre mũrĩ na wĩhokeku ngoro-inĩ cianyu ciothe; cũraniai maũndũ manene marĩa amwĩkĩire.

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

25 No mũngĩkorwo nĩmũkũrũmanĩrĩria gwĩkaga ũũru-rĩ, inyuĩ hamwe na mũthamaki wanyu nĩmũkaniinwo biũ.”

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