Samuel’s Farewell Address
1 Samuel 12Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have listened to y’all’s voice in everything y’all said to me, and have made a king over y’all. Now, here is the king walking before y’all. I am old and gray and my sons are with y’all. I have walked before y’all from my youth to this day. Here I am. Y’all testify against me before YHWH and before ʜɪꜱ anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Of whose hand have I taken a bribe to make me blind my eyes? I will restore it to y’all.”
They said, “You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from anyone’s hand.”
He said to them, “YHWH is witness against y’all, and ʜɪꜱ anointed is witness today, that y’all have not found anything in my hand.”
They said, “Hᴇ is witness.” Samuel said to the people, “It is YHWH who appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought y’all’s fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore y’all are stand still, so that I may plead with y’all before YHWH concerning all the righteous acts of YHWH that he did for y’all and your* ancestors.
“When Jacob had come into Egypt, and y’all’s ancestors cried to YHWH, then YHWH sent Moses and Aaron, who brought y’all’s ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. But they forgot YHWH their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. They cried to YHWH, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken YHWH and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ YHWH sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered y’all out of the hand of your* enemies on every side, so that y’all lived in safety.
“When y’all saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you*, y’all said to me, ‘No, a king must reign over us,’ when YHWH your* God was y’all’s king. Now therefore see the king whom y’all have chosen and whom y’all have asked for. Look, YHWH has placed a king over y’all. If y’all will fear YHWH, and serve ʜɪᴍ, and listen to ʜɪꜱ voice, and not rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then both y’all and also the king who reigns over y’all are followers of YHWH your* God. But if y’all will not listen to YHWH’s voice, but rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then YHWH’s hand will be against y’all, as it was against y’all’s ancestors.
“Now therefore y’all are to stand still and see the great thing YHWH is about to do before y’all’s eyes. Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call on YHWH to send thunder and rain. Then y’all will know and see that y’all’s wickedness is great which y’all have done in YHWH’s sight by asking for a king.”
So Samuel called on YHWH, and YHWH sent thunder and rain that day. Then all the people greatly feared YHWH and Samuel.
All the people said to Samuel, “You must pray for your servants to YHWH your God, so that we not die. For we have added to all our others sins this evil by asking for a king.”
Samuel said to the people, “Y’all must not be afraid. Y’all have indeed done all this evil, but don’t turn away from following YHWH. Instead y’all are to serve YHWH with all y’all’s heart. Y’all must not turn away to go after vain things that can’t profit and can’t deliver, because they are worthless. For YHWH will not forsake ʜɪꜱ people for ʜɪꜱ great name’s sake, because it has pleased YHWH to make y’all ʜɪꜱ own people. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against YHWH by ceasing to pray for y’all. I will instruct y’all in the good and the right way. Only y’all must fear YHWH and serve ʜɪᴍ in truth with all y’all’s heart. Consider the great things ʜᴇ has done for y’all. But if y’all do evil-evil, y’all will be consumed, both you* and your* king.”