I Samuel 12

Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation

1 Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have heeded *Josh. 8:31; 1 Sam. 10:8your voice in all that you said to me, and *1 Sam. 8:5, 7, 9, 20, 22have made a king over you. 2 And now here is the king, *1 Sam. 10:24; 11:14, 15walking before you; *Num. 27:17; 1 Sam. 8:20and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before *1 Sam. 8:1, 5His anointed: *1 Sam. 10:1; 24:6; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any*Num. 16:15; Acts 20:33; 1 Thess. 2:5bribe with which to *Ex. 23:8blind my eyes? I will restore it to you."

4 And they said, *Deut. 16:19"You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand."

5 Then he said to them, "The Lordis witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, *Lev. 19:13that you have not found anything *John 18:38; Acts 23:9; 24:20in my hand."

And they answered, "Heis witness."

6 Then Samuel said to the people, *Ex. 22:4"Itis the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore, stand still, that I may *Ex. 6:26; Mic. 6:4reason with you before the Lord concerning all the *Is. 1:18; Ezek. 20:35; Mic. 6:1–5righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers: 8 *Judg. 5:11; Ps. 103:6When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers *Gen. 46:5, 6; Ps. 105:23cried out to the Lord, then the Lord*Ex. 2:23–25sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9 And when they *Ex. 3:10; 4:14–16forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of *Deut. 32:18; Judg. 3:7Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the *Judg. 4:2Philistines, and into the hand of the king of *Judg. 3:31; 10:7; 13:1Moab; and they fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the Lord, and said, *Judg. 3:12–30‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord*Judg. 10:10and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, *Judg. 2:13; 3:7Jephthah, and *Judg. 11:1Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12 And when you saw that *1 Sam. 7:13Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, *1 Sam. 11:1, 2you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when *1 Sam. 8:5, 19, 20the Lord your God was your king.

13 "Now therefore, *Judg. 8:23; 1 Sam. 8:7; Ps. 59:13here is the king *1 Sam. 10:24whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, *1 Sam. 8:5; 12:17, 19the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you *Hos. 13:11fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. 15 However, if you do *Josh. 24:14not obey the voice of the Lord, but *Deut. 28:15rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as itwas against your fathers.

16 "Now therefore, *Lev. 26:14, 15; Josh. 24:20; Is. 1:20stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes: 17 Is today not the *Ex. 14:13, 31wheat harvest? *Gen. 30:14I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and *Josh. 10:12; 1 Sam. 7:9, 10; (James 5:16–18)rain, that you may perceive and see that *Ezra 10:9your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves."

18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and *1 Sam. 8:7all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 And all the people said to Samuel, *Ex. 14:31"Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves."

20 Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; *Ex. 9:28; 1 Sam. 7:8; (James 5:15; 1 John 5:16)yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And *Deut. 11:16do not turn aside; *2 Chr. 25:15for thenyouwouldgo after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For *Is. 41:29; Jer. 16:19; Hab. 2:18; 1 Cor. 8:4the Lord will not forsake *Deut. 31:6; 1 Kin. 6:13His people, *Is. 43:21for His great name’s sake, because *Ex. 32:12; Num. 14:13; Josh. 7:9; Ps. 106:8; Jer. 14:21it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord*Deut. 7:6–11; 1 Pet. 2:9in ceasing to pray for you; but *Acts 12:5; Rom. 1:9; Col. 1:9; 2 Tim. 1:3I will teach you the *Ps. 34:11; Prov. 4:11good and the right way. 24 *1 Kin. 8:36Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for *Eccl. 12:13consider what *Is. 5:12great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, *Deut. 10:21you shall be swept away, *Josh. 24:20both you and your king."