1 Samuel 12:1-13 ▼

1 Samuel said to all Israel, |Look, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.

2 Now, look, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and look, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth to this day.

3 Here I am. Testify against me before the LORD, and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, or a shoe? Testify against me, and I will restore it to you.|

4 They said, |You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand.|

5 He said to them, |The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.| They said, |He is witness.|

6 Samuel said to the people, |It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of Egypt.

7 Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before the LORD and will recount for you all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

8 |When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, and your fathers cried to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place.

9 |But they forgot the LORD 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.

10 And they cried to the LORD, and they said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'

11 The LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived in safety.

12 |When you saw that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us;' when the LORD your God was your king.

13 Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for: and look, the LORD has set a king over you.