1 Samuel 12
12:1And Samuel said to every man of Israel, Behold, I hearkened to your voice in all as many things as you said to me, and I gave reign over you a king.
12:2And now, behold, the king travels before you. And I grow old and shall sit. And behold, my sons are among you. And I, behold, I have gone before you from my youth, and until this day.
12:3Behold, I am here. You should respond against me before the lord, and before his anointed one. Whose calf have I taken? or whose donkey have I taken? or who of you have I tyrannized over? or who have I pressured? or from out of whose hand have I taken an appeasement, or a sandal? Should you respond to me, then I will give it back to you.
12:4And they said to Samuel, You did not wrong us, and you did not tyrannize over us, and you have not taken from anyone's hand -- not one thing.
12:5And Samuel said to the people, The lord is witness among you, and his anointed one is witness in this day, that you have not found in my hand anything. And they said, He is witness.
12:6And Samuel said to the people, saying, The lord is witness, the one preparing Moses and Aaron, and the one leading our fathers out of Egypt.
12:7And now stand, and I will adjudicate for you before the lord, and I will report to you all the righteousness of the lord, which he did to you, and to your fathers,
12:8as Jacob and his sons entered into Egypt, and Egypt humbled them. And our fathers yelled to the lord, and the lord sent Moses and Aaron. And he led our fathers out of Egypt, and settled them in this place.
12:9And they forgot the lord their God, and he gave them into the hands of Sisera commander-in-chief of Jabish, king of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab; and they waged war with them.
12:10And they yelled to the lord, and said, We sinned, for we abandoned the lord, and we served to the Baalim, and to the sacred groves. And now rescue us from the hand of our enemies! and we will serve you.
12:11And the lord sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and rescued you round about from the hand of your enemies, and you dwell secure.
12:12And you beheld that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon came upon you, and you said, No, but only that a king shall reign over us. And the lord our God is your king.
12:13And now behold, the king whom you chose and whom you acquire. And behold, the lord puts over you a king!
12:14If you should fear the lord, and should serve to him, and should hearken to his voice, and should not contend with the mouth of the lord, then you should be (even you yourselves, and the king reigning over you) going after the lord your God.
12:15But if you should not hearken to the voice of the lord, and should contend with the mouth of the lord, then the hand of the lord will be against you, and against your king.
12:16And now, stand and behold this great thing which the lord will do in your eyes!
12:17Is it not the harvest of wheat today? I shall call upon the lord, and he will give thundering sounds and rain. And know and behold! that great is your evil which you did before the lord, asking for yourselves a king.
12:18And Samuel called upon the lord; and the lord gave sounds and rain in that day. And all the people feared the lord exceedingly, and Samuel.
12:19And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the lord your God! and in no way we should die, for we added unto all our sins this evil asking for ourselves a king.
12:20And Samuel said to the people, Do not fear! You have done all this evil, except you should not turn aside from following after the lord. And serve to the lord with your entire heart!
12:21And you should not turn aside after the things being nothing, which achieve nothing, and which shall not rescue, for they are nothing.
12:22For the lord shall not thrust away his people because of his great name; for the lord took you to make for a people to himself.
12:23But to me, may it not be to sin against the lord, to stop praying for you to the lord. But I will manifest to you the good and straight way.
12:24Only fear the lord, and serve him in truth, and with your entire heart! For see what he magnified with you!
12:25And if by evil you should do evil, then you and your king shall be added to your dead.