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1 Samuel 12 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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Samuel Addresses Israel

12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, (A)I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I (B)have appointed a king over you. 2 Now, (C)here is the king walking before you, but as for me, (D)I am old and gray, and (E)my sons are here with you. And (F)I have walked before you since my youth to this day. 3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and (G)His anointed. (H)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or (I)from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you.” 4 And they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from anyone’s hand.” 5 So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that (J)you have found nothing (K)in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who [a](L)appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now then, take your stand, (M)so that I may enter into judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord that He did for you and your fathers. 8 (N)When Jacob went into Egypt and (O)your fathers cried out to the Lord, then (P)the Lord sent Moses and Aaron [b](Q)who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But (R)they forgot the Lord their God, so (S)He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and (T)into the hand of the Philistines, and (U)into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 (V)They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have abandoned the Lord and have served (W)the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but (X)now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 Then the Lord sent (Y)Jerubbaal, [c](Z)Bedan, (AA)Jephthah, and (AB)Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.

The King Confirmed

12 But when you saw (AC)that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, ‘(AD)No, but a king shall reign over us!’ (AE)Yet the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now, (AF)behold, the king whom you have chosen, (AG)whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has [d]put a king over you. 14 (AH)If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the [e]command of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15 But (AI)if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the [f]command of the Lord, then (AJ)the hand of the Lord will be against you, (AK)even as it was against your fathers. 16 Even now, (AL)take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is going to do before your eyes. 17 (AM)Is it not the wheat harvest today? (AN)I will call to the Lord, that He will send [g]thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that (AO)your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord, by asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent [h]thunder and rain that day; and (AP)all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “(AQ)Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins (AR)this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.” 20 Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet (AS)do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after (AT)useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless. 22 For (AU)the Lord will not abandon His people (AV)on account of His great name, because the Lord (AW)has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23 Furthermore, as for me, (AX)far be it from me that I would sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but (AY)I will instruct you in the good and right way. 24 (AZ)Only [i]fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider (BA)what great things He has done for you. 25 (BB)But if you still do evil, (BC)both you and your king (BD)will be swept away.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 12:6 Lit made
  2. 1 Samuel 12:8 Lit and they brought
  3. 1 Samuel 12:11 LXX and Syriac Barak
  4. 1 Samuel 12:13 Lit given
  5. 1 Samuel 12:14 Lit mouth
  6. 1 Samuel 12:15 Lit mouth
  7. 1 Samuel 12:17 Lit sounds
  8. 1 Samuel 12:18 Lit sounds
  9. 1 Samuel 12:24 Or revere

Cross references

  1. 1 Samuel 12:1 : 1 Sam 8:7, 9, 22
  2. 1 Samuel 12:1 : 1 Sam 10:24; 11:14, 15
  3. 1 Samuel 12:2 : 1 Sam 8:20
  4. 1 Samuel 12:2 : 1 Sam 8:1, 5
  5. 1 Samuel 12:2 : 1 Sam 8:3, 5
  6. 1 Samuel 12:2 : 1 Sam 3:10, 19, 20
  7. 1 Samuel 12:3 : 1 Sam 10:1; 24:6; 2 Sam 1:14
  8. 1 Samuel 12:3 : Ex 20:17; Num 16:15; Acts 20:33
  9. 1 Samuel 12:3 : Ex 23:8; Deut 16:19
  10. 1 Samuel 12:5 : Acts 23:9; 24:20
  11. 1 Samuel 12:5 : Ex 22:4
  12. 1 Samuel 12:6 : Ex 6:26; Mic 6:4
  13. 1 Samuel 12:7 : Ezek 20:35; Mic 6:1-5
  14. 1 Samuel 12:8 : Gen 46:5, 6
  15. 1 Samuel 12:8 : Ex 2:23-25
  16. 1 Samuel 12:8 : Ex 3:10; 4:14-16
  17. 1 Samuel 12:8 : 1 Sam 10:18
  18. 1 Samuel 12:9 : Deut 32:18; Judg 3:7
  19. 1 Samuel 12:9 : Judg 4:2
  20. 1 Samuel 12:9 : Judg 3:31; 10:7; 13:1
  21. 1 Samuel 12:9 : Judg 3:12-30
  22. 1 Samuel 12:10 : Judg 10:10
  23. 1 Samuel 12:10 : Judg 2:13; 3:7
  24. 1 Samuel 12:10 : Judg 10:15, 16
  25. 1 Samuel 12:11 : Judg 6:31, 32; 7:1
  26. 1 Samuel 12:11 : Judg 4:6; 11:1
  27. 1 Samuel 12:11 : Judg 11:29
  28. 1 Samuel 12:11 : 1 Sam 3:20
  29. 1 Samuel 12:12 : 1 Sam 11:1, 2
  30. 1 Samuel 12:12 : 1 Sam 8:6, 19
  31. 1 Samuel 12:12 : Judg 8:23; 1 Sam 8:7
  32. 1 Samuel 12:13 : 1 Sam 10:24
  33. 1 Samuel 12:13 : 1 Sam 8:5; 12:17, 19; Hos 13:11
  34. 1 Samuel 12:14 : Josh 24:14
  35. 1 Samuel 12:15 : Lev 26:14, 15; Josh 24:20; Is 1:20
  36. 1 Samuel 12:15 : 1 Sam 5:9
  37. 1 Samuel 12:15 : 1 Sam 12:9
  38. 1 Samuel 12:16 : Ex 14:13, 31
  39. 1 Samuel 12:17 : Prov 26:1
  40. 1 Samuel 12:17 : 1 Sam 7:9, 10; James 5:16ff
  41. 1 Samuel 12:17 : 1 Sam 8:7
  42. 1 Samuel 12:18 : Ex 14:31
  43. 1 Samuel 12:19 : Ex 9:28; 1 Sam 12:23; Jer 15:1; 1 John 5:16
  44. 1 Samuel 12:19 : 1 Sam 12:17, 20
  45. 1 Samuel 12:20 : Deut 11:16
  46. 1 Samuel 12:21 : Deut 11:16; Is 41:29; Hab 2:18
  47. 1 Samuel 12:22 : Deut 31:6; 1 Kin 6:13
  48. 1 Samuel 12:22 : Ex 32:12; Num 14:13; Josh 7:9; Ps 106:8; Jer 14:21
  49. 1 Samuel 12:22 : Deut 7:6-11; 1 Pet 2:9
  50. 1 Samuel 12:23 : Rom 1:9; 1 Cor 9:16; Col 1:9; 1 Thess 3:10; 2 Tim 1:3
  51. 1 Samuel 12:23 : 1 Kin 8:36; Ps 34:11; Prov 4:11
  52. 1 Samuel 12:24 : Eccl 12:13
  53. 1 Samuel 12:24 : Deut 10:21; Is 5:12
  54. 1 Samuel 12:25 : Is 1:20; 3:11
  55. 1 Samuel 12:25 : Josh 24:20
  56. 1 Samuel 12:25 : 1 Sam 31:1-5; Hos 10:3

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