1 Samuel 12
1 Entonces Samuel dijo a todo Israel: Ciertamente escuché su voz en todo lo que me dijeron. Constituí un rey que reine sobre ustedes.
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 Ahora, miren, su rey marcha al frente de ustedes. Yo ya soy anciano y canoso, y también mis hijos están delante de ustedes. Desde mi juventud hasta hoy yo anduve delante de ustedes.
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 Aquí estoy, testifiquen contra mí en presencia de Yavé y de su ungido, si tomé el buey o el asno de alguno, si calumnié a alguien, si agravié a alguno, o si de algún modo acepté soborno ante lo cual cerré mis ojos. Yo se lo restituiré.
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 Entonces dijeron: Nunca nos calumniaste, ni agraviaste, ni tomaste algo de mano de algún hombre.
“No, you have never cheated or oppressed us,” they replied, “and you have never taken anything from anyone.”
5 Y él les dijo: Yavé es testigo contra ustedes y su ungido es testigo hoy, que nada hallaron en mi mano. Ellos respondieron: Es testigo.
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 Samuel dijo al pueblo: Yavé es el que designó a Moisés y a Aarón, Quien sacó a sus antepasados de la tierra de Egipto.
“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 Ahora pues, estén quietos, para que yo razone con ustedes delante de Yavé sobre todos los actos justos que Yavé hizo con ustedes y con sus antepasados.
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 Después que Jacob entró en Egipto, sus antepasados clamaron a Yavé, y Yavé envió a Moisés y a Aarón, quienes sacaron a sus antepasados de Egipto, y los establecieron en este lugar.
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 Pero ellos se olvidaron de Yavé su ʼElohim, y Él los entregó en mano de Sísara, jefe del ejército de Hazor, en mano de los filisteos, y en mano del rey de Moab, quienes pelearon contra ellos.
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 Entonces ellos clamaron a Yavé: Pecamos, abandonamos a Yavé y servimos a los baales y a Astarot. ¡Líbranos ahora de la mano de nuestros enemigos, y te serviremos!
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 Yavé envió a Jerobaal, Bedán, Jefté y Samuel, y los libró de mano de sus enemigos de alrededor y vivieron con seguridad.
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 Pero cuando vieron que Nahas, rey de los hijos de Amón, venía contra ustedes, me dijeron: No. Un rey reinará sobre nosotros, aun cuando Yavé su ʼElohim era su Rey.
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 Ahora pues, aquí tienen al rey que eligieron, el cual pidieron. Ciertamente Yavé designó rey sobre ustedes.
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 Si temen a Yavé, le sirven, obedecen su voz y no son rebeldes a la Palabra de Yavé, y si tanto ustedes como su rey sirven a Yavé su ʼElohim, harán bien.
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 Pero si no obedecen la voz de Yavé y son rebeldes a la Palabra de Yavé, la mano de Yavé estará contra ustedes y contra su rey.
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 Aun ahora preséntense y vean la gran maravilla que hace Yavé ante sus ojos:
Now stand still and watch what the Lord is going to do, right before your very eyes.
17 ¿No es ahora la cosecha del trigo? Invocaré a Yavé para que Él envíe truenos y lluvia. Sabrán y verán que fue grande la perversidad que cometieron ante Yavé al pedir un rey para ustedes.
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 Entonces Samuel invocó a Yavé. Ese día Yavé envió truenos y lluvia, y todo el pueblo temió grandemente a Yavé y a 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 Todo el pueblo dijo a Samuel: Ora por tus esclavos ante Yavé tu ʼElohim para que no muramos, porque añadimos a todos nuestros pecados este mal de pedir rey para nosotros.
“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 Samuel respondió al pueblo: No teman. Ustedes cometieron todo este mal. Sin embargo, no se aparten de seguir a Yavé, sino sírvanle con todo su corazón.
“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 No se aparten tras vanidades que no aprovechan ni libran, porque son vanidades.
Don't worship worthless idols that can't help you or save you, for they are nothing.
22 Porque Yavé no abandonará a su pueblo por su gran Nombre, pues Yavé se complació en convertirlos en pueblo suyo.
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 Por tanto, lejos esté de mí que peque contra Yavé al cesar de orar por ustedes. Más bien los instruiré en el camino bueno y recto.
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 Solo teman a Yavé, y sírvanle de verdad con todo su corazón, pues consideren cuán grandes cosas hizo por ustedes.
Make sure you honor God and worship him faithfully, with complete dedication. Think of all the tremendous things he has done for you.
25 Pero si persisten en hacer el mal, perecerán, tanto ustedes como su rey.
But if you continue to do what is evil, you and your king will be wiped out.”
