Open English Translation 1SA Chapter 12

12 Then Shemuel said to all Israel, “Listen to me now. I’ve listened to your voices and taken notice of everything that you all said to me. And I’ve appointed a king to reign over you all. 2 So look now and you can see your king walking here in front of you all. But as for me, I’m old and gray, and my sons are among you all. I’ve served you all openly from my youth right up to the present time, 3 and here I am now. Now with Yahweh listening, answer this truthfully: Have I ever taken anyone’s ox or donkey? Did I cheat anyone? Have I oppressed anyone or taken a bribe to not see something? I’ll pay back anything I owe anyone.”

4 “No, you haven’t cheated us,” they answered. “And you haven’t oppressed us or taken any payments.”

5 “Yahweh is a your witness,” he said. “And his anointed king is a witness today, that you have never found me taking anything that wasn’t mine.”

“We witness that,” they agreed.

6 “It was Yahweh who appointed Mosheh and Aharon,” Shemuel continued, “and who brought your ancestors out of Egypt.[ref] 7 Now present yourselves to Yahweh as I confront you all in front of him by telling you about his righteousness that he displayed to you all as well as to your ancestors before you: 8 After Yacob went to Egypt and your ancestors cried out to Yahweh, then Yahweh sent Mosheh and Aharon, and they brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them into this place.[ref] 9 Then they forgot their God Yahweh, and he allowed them to be oppressed by Sisera (the commander of the army from Hazor), and the Philistines, and the king of Moab. Then they fought against them[ref] 10 and cried out to Yahweh, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtorets. But if you rescue us now from our enemies, we will serve you.’[ref] 11 Then Yahweh sent Gideon, Bedan, Yeftah, and Shimshon[fn] to rescue you all from your enemies all around you, and so you all have had times of living securely.[ref] 12 But then you all saw Ammonite King Nahash coming against you, and you demanded that you all wanted a king to reign over you rather than having your God Yahweh as your king.[ref]

13 So now, look, here’s the king that you all chose to have. Yes,, Yahweh has given you all a king. 14 If you all honour Yahweh and listen to his instructions and don’t rebel against his commands, then both you and your king will indeed be following your God Yahweh. 15 But if you all don’t listen to Yahweh, and you rebel against his commands, then he will work against you all just like he worked against your ancestors.[fn] 16 So now stay there and you’ll all see the incredible sign that Yahweh is about to do in front of you. 17 Now, isn’t it the time of the wheat harvest right now? I’ll call to Yahweh, and he’ll send unseasonal thunder and rain, and then you’ll all see and realise that in Yahweh’s view, asking for a king was very evil.”

18 So Shemuel called to Yahweh and he sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people became very afraid of Yahweh and Shemuel 19 and begged Shemuel, “Pray to your God Yahweh for your servants, so that we won’t die, because we’ve added more evil onto all our previous sins by requesting a king for ourselves.”

20 “Don’t be afraid,” Shemuel responded. “You yourselves have indeed done all this evil. However, don’t make it worse by turning away from Yahweh, but rather, serve him with all your being. 21 And don’t turn away from Yahweh and worship useless idols because they can’t benefit you or rescue you, because they’re empty of life. 22 Yahweh won’t abandon his people because he has an excellent reputation to uphold, especially since he’s declared you all to be his people. 23 Also, far be it from me to sin against Yahweh by not praying for you all, as well as instructing you all in the good and proper way. 24 Just honour Yahweh and serve him faithfully and sincerely—always remembering the incredible things he’s done for you all. 25 But if you all continue to do evil, both you and your king will get swept away.”