1 Samuel 12

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Samuel said to all Israel, 'I have faithful y done al that you asked of me, and have appointed you aking.	1 Then Samuel said to all of Israel: “Behold, I have listened to your voice, according to all that you have said to me, and I have appointed a king over you.
2 In future, the king will lead you. As for me, I am old and grey, and in any case you have my sons. Ihave been your leader ever since I was young until today.	2 And now the king advances before you. But I am old and have gray hair. Moreover, my sons are with you. And so, having conversed before you from my youth, even until this day, behold, I am here.
3 Here I am. Bear witness against me before Yahweh and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken?Whose donkey have I taken? Have I wronged or oppressed anyone? Have I taken a consideration from anyonefor looking the other way? If so, I wil make amends.'	3 Speak about me before the Lord, and before his Christ, as to whether I have taken anyone’s ox or donkey, or whether I have falsely accused anyone, or whether I have oppressed anyone, or whether I have accepted a bribe from the hand of anyone, and I will repudiate the same, this day, and I will restore it to you.”
4 They said, 'You have neither wronged nor oppressed us nor accepted anything from anyone.'	4 And they said, “You have not falsely accused us, nor oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from the hand of anyone.”
5 He said to them, 'Yahweh is your witness and his anointed is witness today that you have foundnothing in my hands?' They replied, 'He is witness.'	5 And he said to them, “The Lord is a witness against you, and his Christ is a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is the witness.”
6 Samuel then said to the people, 'Yahweh is witness, he who raised up Moses and Aaron and whobrought your ancestors out of Egypt.	6 And Samuel said to the people: “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who led our fathers away from the land of Egypt.
7 So now, stay where you are, while I plead with you before Yahweh and remind you of al the savingacts which he has done for you and for your ancestors.	7 Now therefore, stand, so that I may contend in judgment against you before the Lord, about all the mercies of the Lord, which he has given to you and to your fathers:
8 After Jacob had arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians oppressed them, and your ancestors cried to Yahweh.Yahweh then sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and gave them a settled homehere.	8 How Jacob entered into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the Lord. And the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and he led your fathers away from Egypt, and he transferred them to this place.
9 They then forgot Yahweh their God and he sold them into the power of Sisera, general of the army ofHazor, and also into the power of the Philistines and of the king of Moab, who made war on them.	9 But they forgot the Lord their God, and so he delivered them into the hand of Sisera, master 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 They cried to Yahweh, "We have sinned," they said, "for we have deserted Yahweh and served theBaals and the Astartes. Rescue us now from the power of our enemies, and we wil serve you."	10 But afterward, they cried out to the Lord, and they said: ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and we have served the Baals and Ashtaroth. Now therefore, rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’
11 Yahweh then sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He rescued you from the power of theenemies surrounding you, and you lived in security.	11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and he rescued you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in confidence.
12 'But when you saw Nahash, king of the Ammonites, marching on you, you said to me, "No, we musthave a king to rule us"-although Yahweh your God is your king.	12 Then, seeing that Nahash, the king of the sons of Ammon, had arrived against you, you said to me, ‘By no means! Instead, a king shall reign over us,’ even though the Lord your God was reigning over you.
13 So, here is the king whom you have chosen; Yahweh has appointed you a king.	13 Now therefore, your king is present, whom you chose and requested. Behold, the Lord has given you a king.
14 If you fear and serve Yahweh and obey his voice and do not rebel against his commands, and if bothyou and the king who rules you follow Yahweh your God, al wil be wel .	14 If you will fear the Lord, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not provoke the mouth of the Lord, then both you, and the king who rules over you, will be following the Lord your God.
15 But if you do not obey Yahweh's voice but rebel against his commands, Yahweh's hand wil beagainst you and against your king.	15 But if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but instead you provoke his words, then the hand of the Lord will be over you and over your fathers.
16 'Stay where you are and see the wonder which Yahweh wil do before your eyes.	16 Therefore, stand now, and see this great thing, which the Lord will accomplish in your sight.
17 Is it not now the wheat harvest? I shal call on Yahweh and he will send thunder and rain, so that youmay clearly understand what a very wicked thing you have done, in Yahweh's eyes, by asking for a king.'	17 Is it not the harvest of the wheat today? I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain. And you will know and see that you have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord, by petitioning for a king over you.”
18 Samuel then cal ed on Yahweh, and Yahweh sent thunder and rain the same day, and al the peopleheld Yahweh and Samuel in great awe.	18 And Samuel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day.
19 They al said to Samuel, 'Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, to save us from death; for to alour sins we have added this wrong of asking for a king.'	19 And all the people feared the Lord and Samuel exceedingly. And all the people said to Samuel: “Pray, on behalf of your servants, to the Lord your God, so that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil, that we would petition for a king.”
20 Samuel said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Although you have done al these wicked things, do notwithdraw your allegiance from Yahweh. Instead, serve Yahweh with al your heart.	20 Then Samuel said to the people: “Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil. Yet truly, do not choose to withdraw from the back of the Lord. Instead, serve the Lord with all your heart.
21 Do not transfer your al egiance to useless idols which, being useless, are futile and cannot saveanybody;	21 And do not choose to turn aside after vanities, which will never benefit you, nor rescue you, since they are empty.
22 Yahweh, for the sake of his great name, wil not desert his people, for it has pleased Yahweh tomake you his people.	22 And the Lord will not abandon his people, because of his great name. For the Lord has sworn to make you his people.
23 For my part, far be it from me to sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you or to instruct you inthe good and right way.	23 So then, far be it from me, this sin against the Lord, that I would cease to pray for you. And so, I will teach you the good and upright way.
24 Fear none but Yahweh, and serve him faithful y with al your heart, bearing in mind the wonder whichhe has just performed. But, if you persist in wickedness, you and your king will perish.'	24 Therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him in truth and from your whole heart. For you have seen the great works that he has done among you.
	25 But if you persevere in wickedness, both you and your king will perish together.”