1 Samuel 12

New King James Version

Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation

12 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have^[a]heeded^(A)your voice in all that you said to me, and^(B)have made a king over you.² And now here is the king,^(C)walking before you;^(D)and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sonsarewith you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.³ Here I am. Witness against me before theLordand before^(E)His anointed:^(F)Whose 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 receivedany^(G)bribe with which to^(H)blind my eyes? I will restoreitto you.”

⁴ And they said,^(I)“You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”

⁵ Then he said to them, “TheLordiswitness against you, and His anointediswitness this day,^(J)that you have not found anything^(K)in my hand.”

And they answered, “He iswitness.”

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people,^(L)“It istheLordwho raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.⁷ Now therefore, stand still, that I may^(M)reason with you before theLordconcerning all the^(N)righteous acts of theLordwhich He did to you and your fathers:^8 (O)When Jacob had gone into^[b]Egypt, and your fathers^(P)cried out to theLord, then theLord^(Q)sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.⁹ And when they^(R)forgot theLordtheir God, He sold them into the hand of^(S)Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the^(T)Philistines, and into the hand of the king of^(U)Moab; and they fought against them.¹⁰ Then they cried out to theLord, and said,^(V)‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken theLord^(W)and served the Baals and^[c]Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’¹¹ And theLordsent^[d]Jerubbaal,^[e]Bedan,^(X)Jephthah, and^(Y)Samuel,^[f]and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.¹² And when you saw that^(Z)Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you,^(AA)you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when^(AB)theLordyour Godwasyour king.

¹³ “Now therefore,^(AC)here is the king^(AD)whom you have chosenandwhom you have desired. And take note,^(AE)theLordhas set a king over you.¹⁴ If you^(AF)fear theLordand serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of theLord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following theLordyour God.¹⁵ However, if you do^(AG)not obey the voice of theLord, but^(AH)rebel against the commandment of theLord, then the hand of theLordwill be against you, asit wasagainst your fathers.

¹⁶ “Now therefore,^(AI)stand and see this great thing which theLordwill do before your eyes:¹⁷ Istoday not the^(AJ)wheat harvest?^(AK)I will call to theLord, and He will send thunder and^(AL)rain, that you may perceive and see that^(AM)your wickednessisgreat, which you have done in the sight of theLord, in asking a king for yourselves.”

¹⁸ So Samuel called to theLord, and theLordsent thunder and rain that day; and^(AN)all the people greatly feared theLordand Samuel.

¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel,^(AO)“Pray for your servants to theLordyour 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;^(AP)yet do not turn aside from following theLord, but serve theLordwith all your heart.²¹ And^(AQ)do not turn aside;^(AR)forthen you would goafter empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for theyarenothing.²² For^(AS)theLordwill not forsake^(AT)His people,^(AU)for His great name’s sake, because^(AV)it has pleased theLordto make you His people.²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against theLord^(AW)in ceasing to pray for you; but^(AX)I will teach you the^(AY)good and the right way.^24 (AZ)Only fear theLord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for^(BA)consider what^(BB)great things He has done for you.²⁵ But if you still do wickedly,^(BC)you shall be swept away,^(BD)both you and your king.”