1 Samuel 12:19

Green's Literal Translation

And all the people said to Samuel, Pray to Jehovah your God for your servants, that we may not die, for we have added this evil to all our sins to ask a king for ourselves.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so we won’t die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of requesting a king for ourselves.”

Hebrew Names Version
All the people said to Shemu'el, Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask us a king.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God so that we will not die, because we have added to all our sins by requesting a king for ourselves."

English Standard Version
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king."

New Century Version
They said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants! Don't let us die! We've added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king."

New English Translation
All the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us—your servants—so we won't die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king."

Amplified Bible
Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we will not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil—to ask for a king for ourselves."

New American Standard Bible
Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, by asking for ourselves a king."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And all the people said vnto Samuel, Pray for thy seruaunts vnto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we haue sinned in asking vs a King, beside all our other sinnes.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king."

Contemporary English Version
They told Samuel, "Please, pray to the Lord your God for us! We don't want to die. We have sinned many times in the past, and we were very wrong to ask for a king."

Complete Jewish Bible
All the people said to Sh'mu'el, "Pray to Adonai your God for your servants, so that we won't die; because to all our other sins now we've added this evil as well, asking for a king over us."

Darby Translation
And all the people said to Samuel, Pray to Jehovah thy God for thy servants, that we die not; for we have added to all our sins the wickedness to ask for ourselves a king.

Easy-to-Read Version
All the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants. Don't let us die! We have sinned many times. And now we have added to these sins—we have asked for a king."

George Lamsa Translation
And all the people said to Samuel. Pray for your servants before the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins a great evil, in that we have asked for ourselves a king.

Good News Translation
and they said to Samuel, "Please, sir, pray to the Lord your God for us, so that we won't die. We now realize that, besides all our other sins, we have sinned by asking for a king."

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and they sayde all vnto Samuel: Praie thou vnto the LORDE thy God for thy seruauntes, that we dye not: for beside oure sinnes we haue done this euell also, that we haue desyred vnto vs a kinge.

American Standard Version
And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

Bible in Basic English
And all the people said to Samuel, Make prayer for us to the Lord your God so that death may not overtake us: for in addition to all our sins we have done this evil, in desiring a king.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And al the people sayd vnto Samuel: Pray for thy seruauntes vnto the Lord thy God, that we dye not: for we haue sinned in asking vs a king, besyde all our [other] sinnes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.'

King James Version (1611)
And all the people said vnto Samuel, Pray for thy seruants vnto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we haue added vnto all our sinnes, this euil, to aske vs a King.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, and let us not die; for we have added to all our sins this iniquity, in asking for us a king.

English Revised Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
They pleaded with Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And al the puple dredde greetli the Lord and Samuel; and al the puple seide to Samuel, Preye thou for thi seruauntis to thi Lord God, that we die not; for we addiden yuel to alle oure synnes, that we axiden a kyng to vs.

Young's Literal Translation
and all the people say unto Samuel, `Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, and we do not die, for we have added to all our sins evil to ask for us a king.'

Update Bible Version
And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your slaves to Yahweh your God, that we will not die; for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask for ourselves a king.

Webster's Bible Translation
And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask us a king.

World English Bible
All the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask us a king.

New King James Version
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves."

New Living Translation
"Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!" they all said to Samuel. "For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king."

New Life Bible
Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so we will not die. For we have added to all our sins this bad thing, to ask for a king."

New Revised Standard
All the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of demanding a king for ourselves."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And all the people said unto Samuel - Pray for thy servants, unto Yahweh thy God, and let it not be that we die, - For we have added, to all our sins, a wrong, in asking for ourselves a king.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel: Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for a king.

Revised Standard Version
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king."

THE MESSAGE
Then all the people begged Samuel, "Pray to your God for us, your servants. Pray that we won't die! On top of all our other sins, we've piled on one more—asking for a king!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king."

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ Also, now present yourselves and see this great thing that Jehovah will do before your eyes. ¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Jehovah and He will give sounds and rain. And know and see that your evil is great, that which you have done in the eyes of Jehovah, to ask a king for yourselves. ¹⁸ And Samuel called to Jehovah. And Jehovah gave sounds and rain in that day. And all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel. ¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, Pray to Jehovah your God for your servants, that we may not die, for we have added this evil to all our sins to ask a king for ourselves. ²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, Do not fear. You have done all this evil, only do not turn aside from following Jehovah, and serve Jehovah with all your heart. ²¹ And do not turn aside to go after worthless things which do not profit and do not deliver, for they are worthless. ²² For Jehovah will not abandon His people, for the sake of His great name. For Jehovah undertakes to make you a people for Himself. ²³ Also I, far be it from me from sinning against Jehovah, from ceasing to pray for you. But I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ²⁴ Only fear Jehovah and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for see that He has done great things for you. ²⁵ But if you still do evilly, both you and your king will be swept away.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Pray for thy: 1 Samuel 7:5, 1 Samuel 7:8, Genesis 20:7, Exodus 9:28, Exodus 10:17, Job 42:8, Psalms 78:34, Psalms 78:35, Isaiah 26:16, Malachi 1:9, Acts 8:24, James 5:15, 1 John 5:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 8:8 - Entreat Numbers 12:11 - I beseech thee Numbers 21:7 - We have Deuteronomy 17:14 - I will set Judges 2:17 - they would 2 Samuel 9:7 - Fear not 1 Kings 13:6 - now Job 37:13 - whether Isaiah 37:4 - lift up Jeremiah 27:18 - let them Jeremiah 37:3 - Pray Jeremiah 42:2 - and pray

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the people said unto Samuel, During the tempest, and in the midst of it; it was the general cry of the people, they were unanimous in it:

pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not; though they had rejected him as their judge and supreme governor in desiring a king, now they were his humble servants, at least feignedly; and knowing what interest he had with God in prayer, they entreat him to make use of it on their behalf, who having sinned so greatly, had not the assurance to call the Lord their God, though they had no doubt of his being the God of Samuel, whose prayers he had heard, of which this tempest was a full proof; and was so violent, that if it continued, they were afraid they should be destroyed by the thunder and lightning, or they and their cattle, with the fruits of the earth, be washed away with the prodigious rain:

for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king; though Samuel had laid before them the evils and inconveniences of having a king, and had in the name of the Lord charged them with rejecting God as their king; yet nothing convinced them of their evil till this storm came, and then all their sins came fresh to their minds; and this added to the weight of them, and lay heaviest on them, that they had rejected the Lord, and slighted his prophets, and, notwithstanding all remonstrances, resolved on having a king.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 12:19. Pray for thy servants - that we die not — As they knew they had rebelled against God, they saw that they had every thing to fear from his justice and power.

We have added unto all our sins this evil — It is no sin to have a king; a good king is one of the greatest blessings of God's providence; but it is a sin to put a man in the place of God. Is it not strange that they did not now attempt to repair their fault? They might have done it, but they did not; they acknowledged their sin, but did not put it away. This is the general way of mankind. "God help us, we are all sinners!" is the general language of all people: but though to be a sinner is to be in the most solemn and awful circumstances, yet they are contented to bear the character, heedless of the consequences!