Elderly Samuel Asks If He’s Ever Defrauded, Oppressed or Taken a Bribe |
1 Samuel 12:1-25 The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks] |
Samuel said to all [of] Israel, I have [listened] to your voice in all that you said & have made a king over you. Now, [see,] the king walks before you & I am old & gray headed. |
[Look,] my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood [until] this day. [See,] I am here. Witness against me before the Lord & His anointed: Whose ox or [donkey] have I taken? |
Whom have I defrauded [or] oppressed? Of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind [my] eyes [with it?] [Tell me] & I will restore it [to] you. They said, You haven’t defrauded us, nor oppressed us & neither have you taken [anything from] any man’s hand. |
[Samuel] said to them, The Lord & His anointed [are witnesses] against you this day, that you haven’t found [anything] in my hand. They answered, He is [a] witness. |
Samuel said to the people, It is the Lord, [Who] advanced Moses & Aaron & brought your [forefathers] up out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, standstill, [so] I may reason with you before the Lord [about] all the righteous acts of the Lord, that He did to you & to your [forefathers.] |
When Jacob [a.k.a. Israel, came] into Egypt & your [forefathers] cried [out] to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses & Aaron [who] brought your [forefathers] out of Egypt & [made] them [live] in this place. |
When they [forgot] the Lord their God, He sold them into the [hands] of Sisera; captain of [Hazor’s army] & into the [hands] of the Philistines & into the [hands] of [Moab’s] king. |
They fought against them & cried [out] to the Lord & said, We have sinned, because we have [abandoned] the Lord & have served Baalim & Ashtaroth. |
But now, deliver us out of the hands of our enemies & we will serve You. The Lord sent Jerubbaal [a.k.a. Gideon] & Bedan, Jephthah & Samuel & delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side & you [lived safely.] |
When you saw that Nahash, the king of the children [people] of Ammon came against you, you said to me, [No;] but a king shall [rule] over us; when the Lord your God was your king. |
Therefore, now, [see,] the king you have chosen & desired! [Look,] the Lord has [put] a king over you. |
If you will fear [respect] the Lord & serve Him & obey His voice & not rebel against the [commandments] of the Lord, then both you & the king [who rules] over you shall continue following the Lord your God. |
But if you won’t obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the [commandments] of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord shall be against you [like] it was against your [forefathers.] |
Therefore, now stand & see this great thing, [that] the Lord shall do before your eyes. Isn’t today wheat harvest? |
I will call to the Lord & He shall send thunder & rain, [so] that you may see & [realize] your wickedness is great & [what] you have done in the sight of the Lord, [by] asking for a king [for yourselves.] |
So, Samuel called to the Lord & the Lord sent thunder & rain that day & all the people greatly feared [respected] the Lord & Samuel. |
And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, [so] that we [won’t] die: for we have added to all our sins, this evil in [asking] for a king [for us.] |
And Samuel said to the people, [Don’t be fearful,] you have done all this wickedness, but don’t [go astray] from following the Lord, but [continue] to serve the Lord with all of your heart. |
[Don’t go astray]: for then if you go after vain things, [that] can’t [benefit] or deliver [you,] for they are [worthless.] For the Lord won’t [abandon] His people for His great Name’s sake; because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. |
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 & right way. Only fear [respect] the Lord & serve Him in truth with all your heart. Consider how [many] great things He has done for you. But if you shall still do wickedly, you & your king shall both [perish.] |