1 Samuel 12

1 Mgbe ahụ, Samuel gwara ụmụ Izrel sị, “Lee, emeelara m unu ihe unu rịọrọ, Enyela m unu eze.

And Samuel said to all Israel, You see that I have given ear to everything you said to me, and have made a king over you.

2 Ugbu a, unu enweela eze, onye bụ onyendu unu. Ma nʼebe mụ onwe m nọ, abụrụla m agadi isi awọ, ụmụ m ndị ikom so nọrọkwa nʼetiti unu. Abụ m onyendu unu site na mgbe m bụ okorobịa ruo taa.

And now, see, the king is before you: and I am old and grey-headed, and my sons are with you: I have been living before your eyes from my early days till now.

3 Lee m ka m guzo nʼihu unu. Gbaanụ ama megide m nʼihu Onyenwe anyị na nʼihu onye ya o tere mmanụ. Onye ka m zuuru ehi ya? Onye ka m zuuru ịnyịnya ibu ya? Ọ dị onye m ghọgburu? Ọ dị onye m megburu? Ọ dị onye m si nʼaka ya nara ego aka azụ ime ka m ghara ikpe ikpe ziri ezi? Gwanụ m ma ọ bụrụ na m mere ihe ndị a, aga m emezi ya.”

Here I am: give witness against me before the Lord and before the man on whom he has put the holy oil: whose ox or ass have I taken? to whom have I been untrue? who has been crushed down by me? from whose hand have I taken a price for the blinding of my eyes? I will give it all back to you.

4 Ha zara sị, “Mba ọ dịbeghị mgbe ị ghọgburu anyị, maọbụ kpagbuo anyị, nʼụzọ ọbụla. O nweghịkwa onye i si nʼaka ya were ihe ọbụla.”

And they said, You have never been untrue to us or cruel to us; you have taken nothing from any man.

5 Samuel zara sị ha, “Onyenwe anyị bụ onye akaebe megide unu. Otu a kwa, onye ya o tere mmanụ bụ onye akaebe taa, na unu achọtaghị ihe ọbụla nʼaka m.” Ha zara sị, “E, ọ bụ onye akaebe!”

Then he said, The Lord is witness against you, and the man on whom he has put the holy oil is witness this day that you have seen no wrong in me. And they said, He is witness.

6 Samuel gakwara nʼihu nʼokwu ya sị, “Ọ bụ Onyenwe anyị họpụtara Mosis na Erọn. Ọ bụkwa ya mere ka nna nna unu ha si nʼIjipt pụta.

And Samuel said to the people, The Lord is witness, who gave authority to Moses and Aaron, and who took your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

7 Ugbu a, guzonụ jụ nʼebe a nʼihu Onyenwe anyị ka m chetara unu ihe ọma niile Onyenwe anyị meere unu na nna nna unu ha.

Keep your places now, while I take up the argument with you before the Lord, and give you the story of the righteousness of the Lord, which he has made clear by his acts to you and to your fathers.

8 “Mgbe ụmụ Jekọb batara Ijipt, ha kpọkuru Onyenwe anyị ka o nyere ha aka. Onyenwe anyị zitere Mosis na Erọn, ndị kpọpụtara nna nna unu ha site nʼIjipt, mee ka ha bịa biri nʼebe a.

When Jacob and his sons had come into Egypt, and were crushed by the Egyptians, the prayers of your fathers came up to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who took your fathers out of Egypt, and he put them into this place.

9 “Ma ha chefuru Onyenwe anyị bụ Chineke ha, nʼihi ya o nyefere ha nʼaka Sisera, bụ ọchịagha eze Hazọ, nakwa nʼaka ndị Filistia, na eze ndị Moab, bụ ndị lụsoro ha ọgụ.

But they were false to the Lord their God, and he gave them up into the hands of Sisera, captain of the army of Jabin, king of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab, who made war against them.

10 Ha tikuru Onyenwe anyị mkpu akwa, sị ya, ‘Anyị emehiela, anyị agbakụtalaOnyenwe anyị azụ, fee arụsị Baal na Ashtọret. Ma ugbu a, napụta anyị site nʼaka ndị iro anyị, anyị ga-efekwa gị.’

Then crying out to the Lord, they said, We have done evil, because we have been turned away from the Lord, worshipping the Baals and the Astartes: but now, make us safe from those who are against us and we will be your servants.

11 Onyenwe anyị zitere Jerub-Baal, na Barak, na Jefta, na Samuel, ka ha zọpụta unu site nʼaka ndị iro nọ unu gburugburu, mee ka unu biri nʼudo.

So the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and took you out of the power of those who were fighting against you on every side, and made you safe.

12 “Ma mgbe unu hụrụ na Nahash, eze ndị Amọn na-achọ ibuso unu agha, unu tụrụ egwu bịakwute m sị m, ‘Mba, anyị chọrọ eze ga-achị anyị,’ nʼagbanyeghị na Onyenwe anyị Chineke unu bụ eze unu.

And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was coming against you, you said to me, No more of this; we will have a king for our ruler: when the Lord your God was your king.

13 Ugbu a, leenụ eze unu họpụtara, nʼihi na ọ bụ unu rịọrọ Onyenwe anyị ka o nye unu ya; Onyenwe anyị azakwala arịrịọ unu.

Here, then, is the king marked out by you: the Lord has put a king over you.

14 Ugbu a, ọ bụrụ na unu ga-atụ egwu Onyenwe anyị, fee ya, rubere ya isi, hapụ inupu isi nʼebe iwu ya dị, ọ bụrụkwa na unu na eze unu ga-esogide Onyenwe anyị Chineke unu, ihe niile ga-adị mma.

If in the fear of the Lord you are his servants, hearing his voice and not going against the orders of the Lord, but being true to the Lord your God, you and the king ruling over you, then all will be well:

15 Ma ọ bụrụ na unu enupu isi nʼiwu Onyenwe anyị, jụ ige ya ntị, aka ya ga-abịakwasị unu nʼoke iwe, ọ ga-emekwa unu ihe o mere nna nna unu ha.

But if you do not give ear to the voice of the Lord, but go against his orders, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and against your king for your destruction, as it was against your fathers.

16 “Ugbu a, na-elenụ anya ka unu hụ ọrụ ịtụnanya niile Onyenwe anyị na-aga ịrụ.

Now keep where you are and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.

17 Unu maara na ugbu a bụ oge a na-aghọ mkpụrụ ọka wiiti, ma aga m ekpe ekpere ka Onyenwe anyị zite egbe eluigwe na mmiri ozuzo taa, ka unu ghọta ụdị ihe ọjọọ unu mere nʼanya Onyenwe anyị mgbe unu rịọrọ ya sị ya nye unu eze.”

Is it not now the time of the grain cutting? My cry will go up to the Lord and he will send thunder and rain: so that you may see and be conscious of your great sin which you have done in the eyes of the Lord in desiring a king for yourselves.

18 Mgbe ahụ Samuel kpọkuru Onyenwe anyị, Onyenwe anyị zidatakwara egbe eluigwe na mmiri ozuzo nʼụbọchị ahụ. Nke a mere ka mmadụ niile tụọ Onyenwe anyị na Samuel egwu.

So Samuel made prayer to the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people were in fear of the Lord and of Samuel.

19 Ndị ahụ rịọrọ Samuel arịrịọ sị ya, “Biko kpeere anyị ekpere nye Onyenwe anyị Chineke gị ka anyị bụ ndị ohu gị ghara ịnwụ. Nʼihi na, nʼezie, anyị ejirila aka anyị mee ka mmehie anyị mụbaa site nʼịrịọ ka e nye anyị eze.”

And all the people said to Samuel, Make prayer for us to the Lord your God so that death may not overtake us: for in addition to all our sins we have done this evil, in desiring a king.

20 Samuel zara sị, “Unu atụla egwu. Unu emeela ihe ọjọọ ndị a niile, ma hụkwanụ na unu ji obi unu niile fee Onyenwe anyị ofufe. Unu agbakụtakwala ya azụ nʼụzọ ọbụla.

Then Samuel said to the people, Have no fear: truly you have done evil, but do not be turned away from the Lord; be his servants with all your heart;

21 Unu agbasola chi ndị ọzọ, nʼihi na ha abaghị uru. Ha agaghị enyere unu aka maọbụ napụta unu site nʼaka ndị iro unu.

And do not go from the right way turning to those false gods in which there is no profit and no salvation, for they are false.

22 Onyenwe anyị agaghị ahapụ ndị ya ọ họpụtara, nʼihi na-ime ihe dị otu a bụ iwetara aha ya dị ukwuu ihere. Ọ tọrọ Onyenwe anyị ụtọ ime unu mba pụrụ iche nye onwe ya.

For the Lord will not give his people up, because of the honour of his name; for it was the Lord's pleasure to make of you a people for himself.

23 Ma banyere mụ onwe m, ọ ga-abụrụ m ihe arụ ma a sị na m ga-emehie megide Onyenwe anyị site nʼịkwụsị ikpere unu ekpere. Aga m anọgidekwa na-ezi unu ihe ndị ahụ dị mma, na ihe ndị ahụ kwesiri ekwesi.

And as for me, never will I go against the orders of the Lord by giving up my prayers for you: but I will go on teaching you the good and right way.

24 Naanị tụọnụ egwu Onyenwe anyị, werekwanụ obi unu fee ya ofufe nʼikwesị ntụkwasị obi; chetanụ ihe ukwuu niile o meere unu.

Only go in the fear of the Lord, and be his true servants with all your heart, keeping in mind what great things he has done for you.

25 Ma ọ bụrụ na unu anọgide na-eme ihe ọjọọ, unu na eze unu ka a ga-ekpochapụ.”

But if you still do evil, destruction will overtake you and your king.