1 Samuel 12:1–15

Samuel’s Charge to Israel

12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have listened to your voice regarding all that you have said to me, so I have set a king over you. 2 And so then here is the king walking about before you. Now I am old and gray, but my sons (look at them!) are with you; and I have walked about before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am! Testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one! 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, that I may shut my eyes ⌊regarding⌋a him?—then I will restore it to you.” 4 Then they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.” 5 So he said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” Then they said, “He is witness.” 6 Then Samuel said to the people, “Yahweh is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your ancestorsb up from the land of Egypt. 7 So then take your stand, so that I may judge you before Yahweh with regard to all the deeds of justicec of Yahweh that he performed with both you and your ancestors.d

8 “When Jacob came to Egypt, your ancestorse cried out to Yahweh, so he sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your ancestorsf out from Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot Yahweh their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the hosts of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 So they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baalsg and the Ashtoreths.h But now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve you!’ 11 So Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal and Bedani and Jephthah and Samuel. Then he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in security.

12 “And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the ⌊Ammonites⌋,j was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king shall reign over us,’ although Yahweh your God is your king. 13 So then look! Here is the king you have chosen, for whom you have asked! Look, Yahweh has placed a king over you! 14 If you will fear Yahweh, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not be rebellious against ⌊what Yahweh says⌋,k and both you and the king who rules over you will follow after Yahweh your God, all will be well. 15 But, if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you rebel against ⌊what Yahweh says⌋,l then the hand of Yahweh will be against youm as it was against your ancestors.n