1 Kings 12
12
1And Samuel said to all Israel: Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.
2And now the king goeth before you. But I am old and greyheaded: and my sons are with you. Having then conversed with you from my youth unto this day, behold here I am.
3Speak of me before the Lord, and before his anointed, whether I have taken any man's ox, or ass: If I have wronged any man: If I have oppressed any man: If I have taken a bribe at any man's hand: and I will despise it this day, and will restore it to you.
4And they said: Thou hast not wronged us, nor oppressed us, nor taken ought at any man's hand.
5And he said to them: The Lord is witness against you; and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found any thing in my hand. And they said: He is witness.
6And Samuel said to the people: It is the Lord, who made Moses and Aaron, and brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt.
7Now therefore stand up, that I may plead in judgment against you before the Lord, concerning all the kindness of the Lord, which he hath shewn to you, and to your fathers:
8How Jacob went into Egypt, and your fathers cried to the Lord: and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and brought your fathers out of Egypt: and made them dwell in this place.
9And they forgot the Lord their God: and he delivered them into the hands of Sisara, captain of the army of Hasor, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.
10But afterwards they cried to the Lord, and said: We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Astaroth. But now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
11And the Lord sent Jerobaal, and Badan, and Jephte, and Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies round about: and you dwelt securely.
12But seeing that Naas king of the children of Ammon was come against you, you said to me: Nay, but a king shall reign over us: whereas the Lord your God was your king.
13Now therefore your king is here, whom you have chosen and desired: Behold the Lord hath given you a king.
14If you will fear the Lord, and serve him, and hearken to his voice, and not provoke the mouth of the Lord: then shall both you, and the king who reigneth over you, be followers of the Lord your God.
15But if you will not hearken to the voice of the Lord, but will rebel against his words, the hand of the Lord shall be upon you, and upon your fathers.
16Now then stand, and see this great thing which the Lord will do in your sight.
17Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call upon the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that you yourselves have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord, in desiring a king over you.
18And Samuel cried unto the Lord: and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day.
19And all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel: Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for a king.
20And Samuel said to the people: Fear not. You have done all this evil: but yet depart not from following the Lord; but serve the Lord with all your heart.
21And turn not aside after vain things which shall never profit you, nor deliver you, because they are vain.
22And the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because the Lord hath sworn to make you his people.
23And far from me be this sin against the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you. And I will teach you the good and right way.
24Therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in truth and with your whole heart; for you have seen the great works which he hath done among you.
25But if you will still do wickedly: both you and your king shall perish together.
Currently Selected:
1 Kings 12: DRC1752
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 12
12
Samuel Speaks About the King
1Samuel said to all Israel: “I have done everything you wanted me to do. I have put a king over you. 2Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and gray, but my sons are here with you. I have been your leader since I was young. 3Here I am. If I have done anything wrong, you must tell these things to the Lord and his chosen king.#12:3 chosen king Literally, “anointed one.” Also in verse 5. Did I steal anyone’s ox or donkey? Did I hurt or cheat anyone? Did I ever take money, or even a pair of sandals, to do something wrong? If I did any of these things, I will make it right.”
4The Israelites answered, “No, you never did anything bad to us. You never cheated us or took things from us.”
5Samuel said to the Israelites, “The Lord and his chosen king are witnesses today. They heard what you said—that you found nothing wrong with me.” The people answered, “Yes, the Lord is witness!”
6Then Samuel said to the people, “The Lord has seen what happened. He is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt. 7Now, stand there. I will accuse you before the Lord and I will tell you about#12:7 and I will tell you about This is from the ancient Greek version. the good things the Lord did for you and your ancestors.
8“Jacob went to Egypt. Later, the Egyptians made life hard for his descendants. So they cried to the Lord for help. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they took your ancestors out of Egypt and led them to live in this place.
9“But your ancestors forgot the Lord their God. So he let them become the slaves of Sisera, the commander of the army at Hazor. Then the Lord let them become the slaves of the Philistines and the king of Moab. They all fought against your ancestors. 10But your ancestors cried to the Lord for help. They said, ‘We have sinned. We left the Lord, and we served the false gods Baal and Ashtoreth. But now save us from our enemies, and we will serve you.’
11“So the Lord sent Gideon,#12:11 Gideon Literally, “Jerub-Baal,” a nickname given to Gideon earlier. (See Judges 6:32.) Barak,#12:11 Barak This is found in the ancient Greek and Syriac versions. The Hebrew has “Bedan.” Jephthah, and Samuel.#12:11 Samuel The Syriac version and some copies of the Greek version have “Samson.” He saved you from your enemies around you, and you lived in safety. 12But then you saw King Nahash of the Ammonites coming to fight against you. You said, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us!’ You said that, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13Now, here is the king you chose. The Lord put this king over you. 14You must fear and respect the Lord. You must serve him and obey his commands. You must not turn against him. You and the king ruling over you must follow the Lord your God. If you do, God will save you.#12:14 If you do, God will save you This is from the ancient Greek version. 15But if you don’t listen to the Lord, if you refuse to do what the Lord says, he will be against you. The Lord will destroy you and your king.
16“Now stand still and see the great thing the Lord will do before your eyes. 17Now is the time of the wheat harvest.#12:17 time of … harvest This was the dry time of year when no rains fell. I will pray to the Lord and ask him to send thunder and rain. Then you will know you did a very bad thing against the Lord when you asked for a king.”
18So Samuel prayed to the Lord. That same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. And the people became very afraid of the Lord and Samuel. 19All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants. Don’t let us die! We have sinned many times. And now we have added to these sins—we have asked for a king.”
20Samuel answered, “Don’t be afraid. It is true that you did all these bad things, but don’t stop following the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Idols are only statues—they can’t help you. So don’t worship them. Idols can’t help you or save you. They are nothing!
22“But the Lord won’t leave his people. No, the Lord was pleased to make you his own people. So for his own good name, he won’t leave you. 23And as for me, I would never stop praying for you. If I stopped praying for you, I would be sinning against the Lord. I will continue to teach you the right way to live a good life. 24But you must honor the Lord. You must serve him sincerely with all your heart. Remember the wonderful things he has done for you. 25But if you are stubborn and do evil, God will throw you and your king away, like dirt swept out with a broom.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International