1 Samuel 12

1Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have made a king reign over you.”

2And now, look, the king is walking before you, and I have grown old and gray, and here are my sons with you. And I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

3Here I am; testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I oppressed? Whom have I mistreated? From whose hand have I taken a bribe, that I should hide my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.

4And they said, “You have not oppressed us, and you have not mistreated us, and you have not taken anything from any man's hand.”

5And he said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

6Then Samuel said to the people, “Yahweh is the one who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.”

7Now therefore, stand here, and I will contend with you before Yahweh concerning all the righteous acts of Yahweh that he did for you and for your fathers.

8When Jacob came into Egypt, your fathers cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

9But they forgot Yahweh their God, and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander 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.

10Then they cried out to the LORD and said, “We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroths. But now, deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.”

11And Yahweh sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in safety.

12When you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us’—though Yahweh your God was your king.

13And now, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for; and look, Yahweh has set a king over you.

14If you fear Yahweh and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against the command of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow Yahweh your God.

15But if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh and rebel against the command of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh will be against you and against your fathers.

16Now then, stand still and see this great thing that Yahweh is doing before your eyes.

17Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, and he will send thunder and rain, so that you may know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh by asking for yourselves a king.

18Then Samuel called to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.

19Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh your God for your servants, and do not let us die, for we have added to all our sins this evil: to ask for a king for ourselves.”

20And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart.”

21And do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are worthless.

22For Yahweh will not forsake his people, for the sake of his great name, because Yahweh has been pleased to make you his people.

23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and upright way.

24Only fear Yahweh and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done with you.

25But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.