1 Samuel chapter 12
English Standard Version
1And Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. 2And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. 3Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you." 4They said, "You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from 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 anything in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."
6And Samuel said to the people, "The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers. 8When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9But they forgot the Lord 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. 10And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. 13And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. 15But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. 16Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king." 18So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king." 20And Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name 's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king."
New International Version
1Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right."
6Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. 7Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.
9"But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12"But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
16"Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king."
20"Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish."
New American Standard Bible
1Then Samuel said to all Israel, 'Behold, I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I have appointed a king over you. 2Now, here is the king walking before you, but as for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. And I have walked before you since my youth to this day. 3Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you.' 4And they said, 'You have not exploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from anyone’s hand.' 5So he said to them, 'The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand.' And they said, 'He is witness.'
6Then Samuel said to the people, 'It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7Now then, take your stand, so that I may enter into judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord that He did for you and your fathers. 8When Jacob went into Egypt and your fathers cried out to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9But they forgot the Lord their God, so 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. 10They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have abandoned the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.
12But when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us!’ Yet the Lord your God was your king. 13And now, behold, the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has put a king over you. 14If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, even as it was against your fathers. 16Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is going to do before your eyes. 17Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord, that He will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord, by asking for yourselves a king.' 18So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19Then all the people said to Samuel, 'Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.' 20Samuel said to the people, 'Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless. 22For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23Furthermore, as for me, far be it from me that I would sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. 24Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25But if you still do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.'
Christian Standard Bible
1Then Samuel said to all Israel, "I have carefully listened to everything you said to me and placed a king over you. 2Now you can see that the king is leading you. As for me, I’m old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have led you from my youth until now. 3Here I am. Bring charges against me before the Lord and his anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged or mistreated? From whom have I accepted a bribe to overlook something? I will return it to you."
6Then Samuel said to the people, "The Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt, is a witness. 7Now present yourselves, so I may confront you before the Lord about all the righteous acts he has done for you and your ancestors.
8"When Jacob went to Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord, and he sent them Moses and Aaron, who led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9But they forgot the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. These enemies fought against them. 10Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we abandoned the Lord and worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now rescue us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11So the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He rescued you from the power of the enemies around you, and you lived securely. 12But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king reign over us’—even though the Lord your God is your king.
13"Now here is the king you’ve chosen, the one you requested. Look, this is the king the Lord has placed over you. 14If you fear the Lord, worship and obey him, and if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s command, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15However, if you disobey the Lord and rebel against his command, the Lord’s hand will be against you as it was against your ancestors.
16"Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17Isn’t the wheat harvest today? I will call on the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain so that you will recognize what an immense evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves." 18Samuel called on the Lord, and on that day the Lord sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
20Samuel replied, "Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don’t turn away from following the Lord. Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart. 21Don’t turn away to follow worthless things that can’t profit or rescue you; they are worthless. 22The Lord will not abandon his people, because of his great name and because he has determined to make you his own people.
23"As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and right way. 24Above all, fear the Lord and worship him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things he has done for you. 25However, if you continue to do what is evil, both you and your king will be swept away."
New Living Translation
1Then Samuel addressed all Israel: 'I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you — an old, gray-haired man — and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.'
6It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,' Samuel continued. 'He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
8When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.
12But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.
14Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!'
18So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!' they all said to Samuel. 'For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.'
20Don’t be afraid,' Samuel reassured them. 'You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you — they are totally useless! 22The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
23As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.'
King James Version
1And 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. 2And 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. 3Behold, 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.
4And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. 5And 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.
6And 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. 7Now 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. 8When 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.
9And 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. 10And 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. 11And 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.
12And 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. 13Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. 14If 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: 15But 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.
16Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. 17Is 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.
18So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19And 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.
20And 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; 21And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. 23Moreover 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: 24Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. 25But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
New King James Version
1Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
6Then Samuel said to the people, “ It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers: 8When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, 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, because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king.
13“Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the Lord has set a king over you. 14If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. 15However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will 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: 17Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.”
20Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
What does 1 Samuel chapter 12 mean?
Many translations title this chapter "Samuel's Farewell Address" or something similar. That can be misleading, because Samuel is not dying or retiring at the time. Samuel is making a speech to the assembled people of Israel and their new king, Saul, concluding Samuel's political role as Israel's judge and deliverer. However, he will continue to serve as the prophet of the Lord to Israel so long as he lives (1 Samuel 12:23).Samuel begins by declaring God's supremacy in all he has done as a judge. This includes Israel's choice to appoint a human king. Now that king has officially taken the throne. After a lifetime of service to Israel since his youth, Samuel describes himself as old and gray (1 Samuel 12:1–2).
Samuel invites anyone among the Israelites who feels that he has abused his authority to come forward and say so now. He wants to leave behind this position with a clean record before God and the people. Has he taken anyone's property? Has he defrauded or oppressed anyone? Has he taken any bribes? Samuel asks for anyone who would make such a claim to come forward and offer testimony. The people respond by saying that Samuel has not done any of these things, and Samuel declares the Lord and the king to be witness to this legal affirmation (1 Samuel 12:3–5).
Samuel's next topic is the Lord's goodness and faithfulness to Israel. This covers what was then about eight hundred years of their history. He gives a thumbnail reminder of those centuries, beginning with the Egyptian oppression of Israel during their years in Egypt and God's rescue of them through Moses and Aaron (1 Samuel 12:6–8).
In this record, Samuel also includes Israel's pattern of unfaithfulness to the Lord. After being given the Promised Land, the people continually disobeyed and insulted God (Judges 2:11–23). As He had promised, the Lord responded by selling them into the hands of enemies such as Sisera and the Philistines and the king of Moab. When Israel's suffering became intense, the people repeated their pattern of crying out to the Lord in repentance and asking for help (Judges 2:16–19). The Lord repeated His pattern of raising up a deliverer to free them, including judges such as Jerubbaal—also known as Gideon—Barak, Jephthah, and finally Samuel himself (1 Samuel 12:9–11).
After all God's faithfulness through that history, though, Israel still responded to the threat posed by Nahash and the Ammonites by asking for a human king to lead them (1 Samuel 8; 11). Samuel insists that this was a rejection of the Lord (1 Samuel 8:7–9), who had been their King all along. But now an earthly king has been established over them by the Lord (1 Samuel 10—11). The covenant with God remains. If the king and the people will fear and serve God and obey Him and not live in rebellion against His commandments, all will be well with them. If the king and the people disobey the Lord and rebel against Him, the Lord will turn against them (1 Samuel 12:12–15).
Samuel then provides a powerful demonstration to prove his perspective. He wants them to understand that God is not happy with their choice, even though He has chosen to allow it. Samuel calls to the Lord to send a violent storm, even though it is the time of the wheat harvest when it almost never rains. The Israelites are terrified by the resulting storm. They beg Samuel for mercy for their current and prior sins. Samuel tells them to be brave and faithful. They are to serve God with all their hearts and not fall into worshipping empty idols. God will not forsake His people because of His name and because it pleased Him to make Israel His people (1 Samuel 12:16–22).
Samuel comforts the people by telling them that he will remain the Lord's prophet to Israel. Samuel concludes his speech by repeating God's instructions: fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully. They should remember all the great things God had done for them. Samuel reminds the people that if they act wickedly, the Lord will sweep them, and their king, away (1 Samuel 12:23–25).
