1 Samuel 12

Modern

Literal

Samuel’s Farewell Address

¹Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king.

¹And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have made reign over you a king.

²Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

²And here is the king, walking before you, and I am old and have become gray. And my sons, behold, are with you, and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

³Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it^a to you.”

³Behold, witness against me before YHWH and before His anointed. The ox of whom have I taken? Or the donkey of whom have I taken? Or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? Or from the hand of whom have I received a bribe and hidden my eyes with it? And I will restore it to you.”

⁴“You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”

⁴And they said, “You have not oppressed us and you have not crushed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of man.”

⁵Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.”

“He is a witness,” they replied.

⁵And he said to them, “YHWH is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And he said, “Witness.”

⁶Then Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is the One who^a appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

⁶And Samuel said to the people, “YHWH is He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers from the land of Egypt.

⁷Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.

⁷And now station yourselves, and I will judge with you before the face of YHWH concerning all the righteous acts of YHWH that He did for you for you your fathers.

⁸When Jacob went to Egypt,^a your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He sent them Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

⁸When Jacob had gone into Egypt, then your fathers cried out to YHWH, and YHWH sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought out your fathers from Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

⁹But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Hazor,^a and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.

⁹And they forgot YHWH their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them.

¹⁰Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’

¹⁰And they cried out to YHWH and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken YHWH and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now snatch us up from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’

¹¹So the LORD sent Jerubbaal,^a Barak,^b Jephthah, and Samuel,^c and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.

¹¹And YHWH sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and He snatched you up out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt in safety.

¹²But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.

¹²And you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, and you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us’—when YHWH your God was your king.

¹³Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you.

¹³And now here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And behold, YHWH has set over you a king.

¹⁴If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well.^a

¹⁴If you fear YHWH, and serve Him, and listen to His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then you will be well—both you and the king who reigns over you after YHWH your God!

¹⁵But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.^a

¹⁵But if you do not listen to the voice of YHWH and rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then the hand of YHWH will be against you as against your fathers.

¹⁶Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes.

¹⁶Therefore now stand and see this great thing that YHWH will do before your eyes.

¹⁷Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.”

¹⁷Is it not the harvest of wheat this day? I will call to YHWH, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the eyes of YHWH in asking for yourselves a king.”

¹⁸So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain.

As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

¹⁸And Samuel called to YHWH, and YHWH sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people greatly feared YHWH and Samuel.

¹⁹They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”

¹⁹And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to YHWH your God, that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for ourselves a king.”

²⁰“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

²⁰And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil; yet do not turn aside from following YHWH, and serve YHWH with all your heart.

²¹Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty.

²¹And do not turn aside as though after the empty things that do not profit and do not deliver; for they are nothing.

²²Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.

²²For YHWH will not forsake His people for the sake of His great name, because it has pleased YHWH to make you unto Him a people.

²³As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.

²³As for me, moreover, far be it from me that I should sin against YHWH in ceasing to pray for you. And I will teach you the good and the straight way.

²⁴Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.

²⁴Only fear YHWH and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider that which He has made great with you.

²⁵But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”