וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנֵּה שָׁמַעְתִּי בְקֹלְכֶם לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־אֲמַרְתֶּם לִי וָאַמְלִיךְ עֲלֵיכֶם מֶלֶךְ׃ 12:1
1Sam. 12:1 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice, to all that you have said to me, and have made a king over you.”
וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ מִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי וָשַׂבְתִּי וּבָנַי הִנָּם אִתְּכֶם וַאֲנִי הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי לִפְנֵיכֶם 12:2 מִנְּעֻרַי עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃
1Sam. 12:2 “And now behold, it is the king who walks before you. And I have grown old and gray-headed, and my sons, behold them with you. And I have walked before you from my youth until this day.”
הִנְנִי עֲנוּ בִי נֶגֶד יְהוָה וְנֶגֶד מְשִׁיחוֹ אֶת־שׁוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וַחֲמוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וְאֶת־מִי עָשַׁקְתִּי אֶת־מִי 12:3 רַצּוֹתִי וּמִיַּד־מִי לָקַחְתִּי כֹפֶר וְאַעְלִים עֵינַי בּוֹ וְאָשִׁיב לָכֶם׃
1Sam. 12:3 “Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: An ox of whose have I taken? Or an ass of whose have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from the hand of whom have I taken a bribe and blinded my eyes with it that I should restore to you?”
וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא עֲשַׁקְתָּנוּ וְלֹא רַצּוֹתָנוּ וְלֹא־לָקַחְתָּ מִיַּד־אִישׁ מְאוּמָה׃ 12:4
1Sam. 12:4 And they said, “You have not defrauded us and you have not oppressed us and you have not taken any thing from the hand of any man.”
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם עֵד יְהוָה בָּכֶם וְעֵד מְשִׁיחוֹ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי לֹא מְצָאתֶם בְּיָדִי מְאוּמָה וַיֹּאמֶר עֵד׃ 12:5
1Sam. 12:5 And he said to them, “The Lord is a Witness with you, and His anointed is a witness this day that you have not found any thing in my hand.” And he said, “Witness!”
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־הָעָם יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹן וַאֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ 12:6 מִצְרָיִם׃
1Sam. 12:6 And Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord Who prepared Moses and Aaron and Who brought up your fathers from the land of Egypt.”
וְעַתָּה הִתְיַצְּבוּ וְאִשָּׁפְטָה אִתְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֵת כָּל־צִדְקוֹת יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אִתְּכֶם וְאֶת־ 12:7 אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם׃
1Sam. 12:7 “So now stand still that I may reason with you before the Lord with all the righteous acts of the Lord that He did for you and for your fathers.”
כַּאֲשֶׁר־בָּא יַעֲקֹב מִצְרָיִם וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אֶל־יְהוָה וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹן וַיּוֹצִיאוּ 12:8 אֶת־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וַיֹּשִׁבוּם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה׃
1Sam. 12:8 “When Jacob came to Egypt and your fathers cried to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out from Egypt and settled them in this place.”
וַיִּשְׁכְּחוּ אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיִּמְכֹּר אֹתָם בְּיַד סִיסְרָא שַׂר־צְבָא חָצוֹר וּבְיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּבְיַד מֶלֶךְ 12:9 מוֹאָב וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ בָּם׃
1Sam. 12:9 “When they forgot the Lord, their God, then He surrendered them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they battled with them.”
וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל־יְהוָה ויאמר וַיֹּאמְרוּ חָטָאנוּ כִּי עָזַבְנוּ אֶת־יְהוָה וַנַּעֲבֹד אֶת־הַבְּעָלִים וְאֶת־הָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת 12:10 וְעַתָּה הַצִּילֵנוּ מִיַּד אֹיְבֵינוּ וְנַעַבְדֶךָּ׃
1Sam. 12:10 “Then they cried to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth; yet now save us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’”
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה אֶת־יְרֻבַּעַל וְאֶת־בְּדָן וְאֶת־יִפְתָּח וְאֶת־שְׁמוּאֵל וַיַּצֵּל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד אֹיְבֵיכֶם מִסָּבִיב 12:11 וַתֵּשְׁבוּ בֶּטַח׃
1Sam. 12:11 “And the Lord sent Jerubaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hand of your enemies from every side, and you dwelled safely.”
וַתִּרְאוּ כִּי־נָחָשׁ מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן בָּא עֲלֵיכֶם וַתֹּאמְרוּ לִי לֹא כִּי־מֶלֶךְ יִמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ וַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם 12:12 מַלְכְּכֶם׃
1Sam. 12:12 “When you saw that Nahash, king of the children of Ammon, came against you, then you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall rule over us,’ when the Lord, your God, was your King.”
וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתֶּם אֲשֶׁר שְׁאֶלְתֶּם וְהִנֵּה נָתַן יְהוָה עֲלֵיכֶם מֶלֶךְ׃ 12:13
1Sam. 12:13 “So now behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you requested, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you.”
אִם־תִּירְאוּ אֶת־יְהוָה וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתוֹ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקֹלוֹ וְלֹא תַמְרוּ אֶת־פִּי יְהוָה וִהְיִתֶם גַּם־אַתֶּם 12:14
וְגַם־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ עֲלֵיכֶם אַחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃
1Sam. 12:14 “O, that you would revere the Lord and serve Him and listen to His voice and not disobey the command of the Lord, and would be, both you and the king who reigns over you, after the Lord, your God!”
וְאִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה וּמְרִיתֶם אֶת־פִּי יְהוָה וְהָיְתָה יַד־יְהוָה בָּכֶם וּבַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם׃ 12:15
1Sam. 12:15 “But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord and disobey the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord shall be against you and against your fathers.”
גַּם־עַתָּה הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה עֹשֶׂה לְעֵינֵיכֶם׃ 12:16
1Sam. 12:16 “Also now stand still and see with your eyes this great thing that the Lord will be doing for your eyes.”
הֲלוֹא קְצִיר־חִטִּים הַיּוֹם אֶקְרָא אֶל־יְהוָה וְיִתֵּן קֹלוֹת וּמָטָר וּדְעוּ וּרְאוּ כִּי־רָעַתְכֶם רַבָּה אֲשֶׁר 12:17 עֲשִׂיתֶם בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה לִשְׁאוֹל לָכֶם מֶלֶךְ׃
1Sam. 12:17 “Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord and He will send thunder and rain that you shall know and see how your wickedness that you have done is great in the eyes of the Lord to ask for yourselves a king.”
וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־יְהוָה וַיִּתֵּן יְהוָה קֹלֹת וּמָטָר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיִּירָא כָל־הָעָם מְאֹד אֶת־יְהוָה וְאֶת־ 12:18 שְׁמוּאֵל׃
1Sam. 12:18 Then Samuel called to the Lord and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
Why did they greatly fear? Because they had lost their wheat harvest. The thunder storm must have been violent enough to destroy the entire crop.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָל־הָעָם אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל הִתְפַּלֵּל בְּעַד־עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְאַל־נָמוּת כִּי־יָסַפְנוּ עַל־כָּל־ 12:19 חַטֹּאתֵינוּ רָעָה לִשְׁאֹל לָנוּ מֶלֶךְ׃
1Sam. 12:19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray on behalf of your servants to the Lord, your God, that we should not die, for we have added onto all our sins the evil of requesting for ourselves a king.”
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־הָעָם אַל־תִּירָאוּ אַתֶּם עֲשִׂיתֶם אֵת כָּל־הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת אַךְ אַל־תָּסוּרוּ מֵאַחֲרֵי 12:20 יְהוָה וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֶת־יְהוָה בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם׃
1Sam. 12:20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear; you have done all this evil, but do not turn aside from following the Lord, and serve the Lord with all your heart.”
וְלֹא תָּסוּרוּ כִּי אַחֲרֵי הַתֹּהוּ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יוֹעִילוּ וְלֹא יַצִּילוּ כִּי־תֹהוּ הֵמָּה׃ 12:21
1Sam. 12:21 “So do not turn aside then after vain things which do not profit and do not deliver, for they are nothing.”
כִּי לֹא־יִטֹּשׁ יְהוָה אֶת־עַמּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל כִּי הוֹאִיל יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶתְכֶם לוֹ לְעָם׃ 12:22
1Sam. 12:22 “For the Lord will not forsake His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has assented to keep you for Himself as a people.”
גַּם אָנֹכִי חָלִילָה לִּי מֵחֲטֹא לַיהוָה מֵחֲדֹל לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעַדְכֶם וְהוֹרֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטּוֹבָה 12:23 וְהַיְשָׁרָה׃
1Sam. 12:23 “Also I defile myself by sinning against the Lord by ceasing to pray on your behalf, and I must instruct you in the way of goodness and righteousness.”
Samuel’s words here lead me to believe that he had taken upon himself the responsibility to pray for the people’s turning to God. He was indeed a great prophet, and certainly humble and God-loving. And he truly understood God’s forgiving ways.
אַךְ יְראוּ אֶת־יְהוָה וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם כִּי רְאוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הִגְדִּל עִמָּכֶם׃ 12:24
1Sam. 12:24 “Truly revere the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart, then see how excellent it will be with you.”
וְאִם־הָרֵעַ תָּרֵעוּ גַּם־אַתֶּם גַּם־מַלְכְּכֶם תִּסָּפוּ׃ 12:25
1Sam. 12:25 “But if you indeed will do evil, both you and your king will perish.”
[Return to 1Samuel Chapters] [Prev.: 1Sam. 11] [Next: 1Sam. 13]
