1 Samuel 12
Samuel’s Farewell Address
And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed ayour voice in all that you have said to me band have made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king awalks before you, band I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before ahis anointed. bWhose 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.” 4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5 And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and ahis anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything bin my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 And Samuel said to the people, a“The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now 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. 8 aWhen Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, bthen your fathers cried out to the Lord and cthe Lord sent Moses and Aaron, dwho brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 But athey forgot the Lord their God. bAnd he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, cand into the hand of the Philistines, dand into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. 10 aAnd they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord band have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now cdeliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11 And the Lord sent aJerubbaal band Barak cand Jephthah and dSamuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12 And when you saw that aNahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, byou said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ cwhen the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now abehold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, bthe Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will afear 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. 15 But aif you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then bthe hand of the Lord will be against you and cyour king. 16 Now therefore astand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 aIs it not wheat harvest today? bI will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that cyour wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, aand all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, a“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.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet ado not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And ado not turn aside after bempty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 aFor the Lord will not forsake his people, bfor his great name’s sake, because cit has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing ato pray for you, band I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 aOnly fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider bwhat great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, ayou shall be swept away, bboth you and your king.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.