الإصحَاحُ
الثَّانِي عَشَرَ
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.
