1 Samuel 12

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I did what you all asked. I gave you all a king to run things.”

2 “Now the king’s leading you. I am old now, gray-headed, and my sons are grown. I have been out here from my youth till today.”

3 “Here I am, check me. If I ever stole an ox, or a donkey, or cheated anybody, or pressed somebody for a bribe, call me out and I will make it right.”

4 They said, “Nah, you are not cheated us, lied to us, or took nothing from nobody.”

5 Samuel said, “The Lord and His anointed king are witnesses today that you all said I kept it clean.” They replied, “Yeah, witnesses.”

Samuel Checks Their History

6 Samuel said, “The Lord is the One who raised up Moses and Aaron and brought your people outta Egypt.”

7 “Now stand here, and I will remind you how the Lord always came through when you all needed Him.”

8 “When Jacob’s kids went to Egypt, they cried out to the Lord. He sent Moses and Aaron, who pulled your people out and settled them in this land.”

9 “But when you all forgot about God, He let you fall into the hands of Sisera, the Philistines, and the Moabite king. They crushed you all.”

10 “Then you all cried out, ‘We sinned! We left the Lord and chased fake gods! Save us!’”

11 “And God sent Jerubbaal (Gideon), Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, He saved you all and gave you peace.”

They Wanted a King Anyway

12 “But when you all saw Nahash the Ammonite king roll up, you said, ‘Nah, we need a king to run us’, even though God was already your King.”

13 “Well, here is the king you asked for, the Lord gave him to you.”

14 “If you all respect the Lord, serve Him, listen to His voice, and do not rebel against Him, you and your king will be good.”

15 “But if you do not listen and rebel against the Lord, His hand is going to be heavy on you all, just like it was on your ancestors.”

God Confirms Samuel’s Words

16 “Now, stand still and watch what the Lord is about to do, right in front of you.”

17 “Is it not harvest time right now, I am going to pray to the Lord, and He is going to send thunder and rain. Then you all will realize how wicked you were asking for a king.”

18 Samuel prayed, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that same day. The people got shook, scared of the Lord and Samuel.

The People Repent

19 They told Samuel, “Please pray to the Lord for us! We added even more sin by asking for a king.”

Samuel Assures Them

20 Samuel said, “Do not trip. You all messed up, but do not turn away from the Lord now. Serve Him with all your heart.”

21 “Do not chase fake gods, they cannot help you, cannot save you. They are not about anything.”

22 “The Lord will not dump His people, because He made a promise based on His own Name. He chose you all to be His own.”

23 “As for me, I would be sinning against God if I stopped praying for you all. I am going to keep teaching you all the good and right way.”

24 “Respect the Lord and serve Him real, from the heart, think about all the good He has done for you.”

25 “But if you all keep doing evil, both you and your king going to be wiped out.