1 Samuel 12

1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.ss4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.5 And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.s7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers.ss8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.9 And when they forgat the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.10 And they cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king.13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you.14 If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:ss15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.

16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.18 So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart;21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:s24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.s25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

1 Samuel 12

Samuel’s Spotless Leadership

1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you have said to me and appointed a king over you.2 And now, here is the king who will lead you. I am old and gray, but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until this day.

3 Here I am. Testify against me in front of the Lord and in front of his anointed king. Did I take anyone’s ox? Did I take anyone’s donkey? Did I cheat or oppress anyone? Did I take a bribe from anyone to look the other way? If so, I will give it all back.”
4 They answered, “You didn’t cheat us, oppress us, or take anything from anyone.”5 Samuel told them, “The Lord is a witness to what you’ve said, and his anointed king is a witness today that you’ve found nothing in my hands.”“He is a witness,” they answered.6 Samuel told the people, “The Lord appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt.7 Now, stand up while I put you on trial in front of the Lord and cite all the righteous things the Lord did for you and your ancestors.8 When your ancestors went with Jacob to Egypt and were oppressed, they cried out to the Lord, who sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt. The Lord settled them in this place.9 But they forgot the Lord their God. So he handed them over to Sisera, who was the commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. All of them fought against your ancestors.

10 Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned. We have abandoned the Lord and served other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Astartes. But rescue us from our enemies now, and we will serve you.’
11 “Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel and rescued you from your enemies on every side so that you could live securely.

12 But when you saw King Nahash of Ammon coming to attack you, you told me, ‘No, a king should rule over us,’ though the Lord your God was your king.

The New Kingship

13 “Now, here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. See, the Lord has put a king over you.14 If you fear the Lord, serve him, obey him, and don’t rebel against what he says, then you and your king will follow the Lord your God.15 But if you don’t obey the Lord, if you rebel against what he says, then the Lord will be against you as he was against your ancestors.16 Now then, stand still and watch this great thing the Lord is going to do right before your eyes.

17 Isn’t the wheat being harvested today? I will call on the Lord, and he’ll send thunder and rain. Then you will realize what a wicked thing you did in the Lord’s presence when you asked for a king.”
18 Then Samuel called on the Lord. That day the Lord sent thunder and rain so that all the people feared the Lord and Samuel very much.19 All the people pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us so that we will not die. We have added another evil thing to all our other sins by asking for a king.”20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel told the people. “You did do all these evil things. But don’t turn away from the Lord. Instead, serve the Lord wholeheartedly.21 Don’t turn away to follow other gods. They can’t help or rescue you, because they don’t exist.22 For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not abandon his people, because the Lord wants to make you his people.23 It would be unthinkable for me to sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. I will go on teaching you the way that is good and right.24 Fear the Lord, and serve him sincerely. Consider the great things he did for you.

25 But if you go on doing what is evil, you and your king will be wiped out.”