1 Samuel 12
Open in the reader1Then Heard-of-God said to all Strives-with-God, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king.
2Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
3Here I am. Bear witness against me before He-Who-Is and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
4“You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”
5Heard-of-God said to them, “He-Who-Is is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied.
6Then Heard-of-God said to the people, “He-Who-Is is the One who appointed Drawn-Out and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Two-Straits.
7Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before He-Who-Is with all the righteous acts He-Who-Is has done for you and your fathers.
8When Heel-Grabber went to Two-Straits, your fathers cried out to He-Who-Is, and He sent them Drawn-Out and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Two-Straits and settled them in this place.
9But they forgot He-Who-Is their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Settlement, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of From-the-Father, who fought against them.
10Then they cried out to He-Who-Is and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken He-Who-Is and served The-Ruler and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’
11So He-Who-Is sent Let-Baal-Contend, Servile, He-Opens, and Heard-of-God, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.
12But when you saw that Serpent king of the children of Kindred was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though He-Who-Is your God was your king.
13Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, He-Who-Is has placed a king over you.
14If you fear He-Who-Is and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of He-Who-Is, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow He-Who-Is your God, then all will be well.
15But if you disobey He-Who-Is and rebel against His command, then the hand of He-Who-Is will be against you as it was against your fathers.
16Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that He-Who-Is will do before your eyes.
17Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on He-Who-Is to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of He-Who-Is by asking for a king.”
18So Heard-of-God called to He-Who-Is, and on that day He-Who-Is sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared He-Who-Is and Heard-of-God.
19They pleaded with Heard-of-God, “Pray to He-Who-Is your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20“Do not be afraid,” Heard-of-God replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following He-Who-Is, but serve He-Who-Is with all your heart.
21Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty.
22Indeed, for the sake of His great name, He-Who-Is will not abandon His people, because He-Who-Is was pleased to make you His own.
23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against He-Who-Is by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.
24Above all, fear He-Who-Is and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.
25But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”