1 Samuel 12
12
Samuel’s Final Speech to Israel
1Samuel spoke to all the Israelites. He said, “I’ve done everything you asked me to do. I’ve placed a king over you. 2Now you have a king as your leader. But I’m old. My hair is gray. My sons are here with you. I’ve been your leader from the time I was young until this day. 3Here I stand. Bring charges against me if you can. The Lord is a witness. And so is his anointed king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I cheated anyone? Have I treated anyone badly? Have I accepted money from anyone who wanted special favors? If I’ve done any of these things, I’ll make it right.”
4“You haven’t cheated us,” they replied. “You haven’t treated us badly. You haven’t taken anything from anyone.”
5Samuel said to them, “The Lord is a witness against you this day. And so is his anointed king. They are witnesses that I haven’t taken anything from any of you.”
“The Lord is a witness,” they said.
6Then Samuel said to the people, “The Lord appointed Moses and Aaron. He brought out of Egypt your people who lived long ago. 7Now then, stand here. I’m going to remind you of all the good things the Lord has done for you and your people. He is a witness.
8“After Jacob’s family entered Egypt, they cried out to the Lord for help. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron. They brought your people out of Egypt. They had them make their homes in this land.
9“But the people forgot the Lord their God. So he put them under the control of Sisera. Sisera was the commander of the army of Hazor. The Lord also put the Israelites under the control of the Philistines and the king of Moab. All those nations fought against Israel. 10So the people cried out to the Lord. They said, ‘We have sinned. We’ve deserted the Lord. We’ve served gods that are named Baal. We’ve served female gods that are named Ashtoreth. But save us now from the power of our enemies. Then we will serve you.’ 11The Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and me. He saved you from the power of your enemies who were all around you. So you lived in safety.
12“But then you saw that Nahash, the king of Ammon, was about to attack you. So you said to me, ‘No! We want a king to rule over us.’ You said it even though the Lord your God was your king. 13Now here is the king you have chosen. He’s the one you asked for. The Lord has placed a king over you. 14But you must have respect for the Lord. You must serve him and obey him. You must not say no to his commands. Both you and the king who rules over you must obey the Lord your God. If you do, that’s good. 15But you must not disobey him. You must not say no to his commands. If you do, his power will be against you. That’s what happened to your people who lived before you.
16“So stand still. Watch the great thing the Lord is about to do right here in front of you! 17It’s time to gather in the wheat, isn’t it? I’ll call out to the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will realize what an evil thing you did in the sight of the Lord. You shouldn’t have asked for a king.”
18Samuel called out to the Lord. That same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people had great respect for the Lord and for Samuel.
19They said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us. Pray that we won’t die because we asked for a king. That was an evil thing to do. We added it to all our other sins.”
20“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel replied. “It’s true that you have done all these evil things. But don’t turn away from the Lord. Serve him with all your heart. 21Don’t turn away and worship statues of gods. They are useless. They can’t do you any good. They can’t save you either. They are completely useless. 22But the Lord will be true to his great name. He won’t turn his back on his people. That’s because he was pleased to make you his own people. 23I would never sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. I’ll teach you to live in a way that is good and right. 24But be sure to have respect for the Lord. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart. Think about the great things he has done for you. 25But don’t be stubborn. Don’t continue to do what is evil. If you do, both you and your king will be destroyed.”
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1 Samuel 12: NIrV
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1 Samuel 12
12
Samuel's Farewell Speech
1Samuel told the Israelites:
I have given you a king, just as you asked. 2You have seen how I have led you ever since I was a young man. I'm already old. My hair is gray, and my own sons are grown. Now you must see how well your king will lead you.
3 #
Si 46.19. Let me ask this. Have I ever taken anyone's ox or donkey or forced you to give me anything? Have I ever hurt anyone or taken a bribe to give an unfair decision? Answer me so the Lord and his chosen king can hear you. And if I have done any of these things, I will give it all back.
4“No,” the Israelites answered. “You've never cheated us in any way!”
5Samuel said, “The Lord and his chosen king are witnesses to what you have said.”
“That's true,” they replied.
6 #
Ex 6.26. Then Samuel told them:
The Lord brought your ancestors out of Egypt and chose Moses and Aaron to be your leaders. 7Now the Lord will be your judge. So stand here and listen, while I remind you how often the Lord has saved you and your ancestors from your enemies.
8 #
Ex 2.23. After Jacob went to Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord for help, and he sent Moses and Aaron. They brought your ancestors out of Egypt and led them here to settle this land. 9#Jg 4.2; Jg 13.1; Jg 3.12. But your ancestors forgot the Lord, so he let them be defeated by the Philistines, the king of Moab, and Sisera, the commander of Hazor's army.
10 #
Jg 10.10-15. #3 Macc 2.12. Again your ancestors cried out to the Lord for help. They said, “We have sinned! We stopped worshiping you, our Lord, and started worshiping Baal and Astarte. But now, if you rescue us from our enemies, we will worship you.”
11 #
Jg 7.1;
Jg 4.6;
Jg 11.29;
1 S 3.20. The Lord sent Gideon,#12.11 Gideon: The Hebrew text has “Jerubbaal,” another name for “Gideon.” Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to rescue you from your enemies, and you didn't have to worry about being attacked. 12#1 S 8.19. Then you saw that King Nahash of Ammon was going to attack you. And even though the Lord your God is your king, you told me, “This time it's different. We want a king to rule us!”
13You asked for a king, and you chose one. Now he stands here where all of you can see him. But it was really the Lord who made him your king. 14If you and your king want to be followers of the Lord, you must worship him#12.14 If … him: Or “If you and your king want things to go well for you, then you must worship the Lord.” and do what he says. Don't be stubborn! 15If you're stubborn and refuse to obey the Lord, he will turn against you and your king.#12.15 and your king: One ancient translation; Hebrew “and your ancestors” or “as he was against your ancestors.”
16Just stand here and watch the Lord show his mighty power. 17Isn't this the dry season?#12.17 the dry season: The Hebrew text has “time for wheat harvest,” which was usually in the spring, the beginning of the dry season. I'm going to ask the Lord to send a thunderstorm. When you see it, you will realize how wrong you were to ask for a king.
18Samuel prayed, and that same day the Lord sent a thunderstorm. Everyone was afraid of the Lord and of Samuel. 19They told Samuel, “Please, pray to the Lord your God for us! We don't want to die. We have sinned many times in the past, and we were very wrong to ask for a king.”
20Samuel answered:
Even though what you did was wrong, you don't need to be afraid. But you must always follow the Lord and worship him with all your heart. 21Don't worship idols! They don't have any power, and they can't help you or save you when you're in trouble. 22But the Lord has chosen you to be his own people. He will always take care of you so that everyone will know how great he is.
23I would be disobeying the Lord if I stopped praying for you! I will always teach you how to live right. 24You also must obey the Lord—you must worship him with all your heart and remember the great things he has done for you. 25But if you and your king do evil, the Lord will wipe you out.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.