| Chapter
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. |
| 4 | 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. |
|
7 | 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. |
| 8 | 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: |
|
15 | 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: |
| 24
| Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for
consider how great things he hath done for you. |
|
25 | But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be
consumed, both ye and your king. |
