1 Samuel 12

Samuel’s Farewell Address

1 And Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, I have obeyed *ch. 8:5,19,20your voice in all that you have said to me *ch. 10:24;11:14,15and have made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king *[ch. 8:20;Num. 27:17] walks before you, *ch. 8:1,5and 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 *ch. 24:6;26:9,11,16;2 Sam. 1:14,16;[ch. 10:1] his anointed. *[Ex. 20:17;Num. 16:15]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*12:3 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks 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 *[See ver. 3above] his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything *Ex. 21:16;22:4in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."

6 And Samuel said to the people, *[Mic. 6:4]"The Lord is witness,*12:6 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks 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 *Gen. 46:5,6When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them,*12:8 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks and the Egyptians oppressed them*Ex. 2:23then your fathers cried out to the Lord and *Ex. 3:10;4:14-16the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, *[ch. 10:18]who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 But *Judg. 3:7they forgot the Lord their God. *Judg. 4:2And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor,*12:9 Septuagint the army of Jabin king of Hazor*Judg. 10:7;13:1;[Judg. 3:31] and into the hand of the Philistines, *Judg. 3:12and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. 10 *Judg. 10:10;[Judg. 3:9] And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord*Judg. 2:13and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now *Judg. 10:15deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11 And the Lord sent *Judg. 6:14,32Jerubbaal *Judg. 4:6,8,10and Barak*12:11 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Bedan*Judg. 11:1and Jephthah and *See ch. 7:10-13Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12 And when you saw that *ch. 11:1Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, *ch. 8:5,19you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ *[ch. 8:7;10:19;Judg. 8:23]when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now *ch. 10:24behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, *ch. 9:16,17;[Hos. 13:11]the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will *ver. 24;Deut. 6:2;Josh. 24:14fear 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 *Lev. 26:14,15;Deut. 28:15;Josh. 24:20if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then *ch. 5:9the hand of the Lord will be against you and *[ver. 9]your king.*12:15 Septuagint; Hebrew fathers16 Now therefore *Ex. 14:13stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 *[Prov. 26:1] Is it not wheat harvest today? *ch. 7:9,10;[James 5:16-18] I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that *ch. 8:7your 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, *Ex. 14:31;[Ezra 10:9]and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 And all the people said to Samuel, *ver. 23;[Ex. 9:28;10:17;Jer. 15:1]"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 *Deut. 11:16do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And *[See ver. 20above] do not turn aside after *Jer. 16:19;Hab. 2:18;[1 Cor. 8:4]empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 *1 Kgs. 6:13;Ps. 94:14;[1 Kgs. 8:57] For the Lord will not forsake his people, *Josh. 7:9;Ps. 106:8;Jer. 14:21;Ezek. 20:9,14,22for his great name’s sake, because *Deut. 7:7,8;14:2;[1 Pet. 2:9]it 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 *See ver. 19to pray for you, *1 Kgs. 8:36;2 Chr. 6:27;Ps. 27:11;[Prov. 4:11;Jer. 6:16]and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 *ver. 14;[Eccles. 12:13] Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider *Deut. 10:21;Ps. 126:2,3what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, *Josh. 24:20;[Num. 16:26] you shall be swept away, *[Deut. 28:36]both you and your king."