1 Samuel 12
Samuel's Address to
the People |
1 |
And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold,
I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and
have made a king over you.
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2 |
And now, behold, the king walketh before
you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this
day.
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3 |
Behold, here I am: witness against
me before the LORD, and before his anointed:
whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I
defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it
you.
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4 |
And they said, Thou hast not defrauded
us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's
hand.
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5 |
And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand.
And they answered, He is witness.
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6 |
And Samuel said unto the people, It
is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, Ex.
6.26 and that brought your fathers up out of the land of
Egypt.
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7 |
Now therefore stand still, that I may
reason with you before the LORD of all the
righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you
and to your fathers.
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8 |
When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your
fathers cried unto the LORD, Ex. 2.23 then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron,
which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell
in this place.
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9 |
And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sis'era, Judg.
4.2 captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of
the Philistines, Judg. 13.1 and into the hand of the king of Moab, Judg. 3.12 and they fought against them.
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10 |
And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have
forsaken the LORD, and have served Ba'alim and
Ash'taroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and
we will serve thee. Judg. 10.10-15
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11 |
And the LORD sent
Jerubba'al, Judg. 7.1 and Bedan, Judg. 4.6 and Jephthah, Judg. 11.29 and Samuel, 1 Sam. 3.20 and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every
side, and ye dwelt safe.
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12 |
And when ye saw that Nahash the king of
the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a
king shall reign over us: 1 Sam. 8.19 when the LORD your God was your
king.
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13 |
Now therefore, behold the king whom ye
have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the
LORD hath set a king over you.
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14 |
If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel
against the commandment of the LORD; then shall
both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following
the LORD your God:
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15 |
but if ye will not obey the voice of the
LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the
LORD; then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your
fathers.
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16 |
Now therefore stand and see this great
thing, which the LORD will do before your
eyes.
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17 |
Is it not wheat harvest today? I
will call unto the LORD, and he shall send
thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
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18 |
So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder
and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
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19 |
And all the people said unto Samuel,
Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God,
that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
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20 |
And Samuel said unto the people, Fear
not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from
following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
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21 |
and turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit
nor deliver; for they are vain.
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22 |
For the LORD will
not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath
pleased the LORD to make you his
people.
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23 |
Moreover as for me, God forbid that I
should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray
for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
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24 |
only fear the LORD,
and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
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25 |
But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye
shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
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