1 Samuel 12:2

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now you can see that the king is leading you. As for me, I’m old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have led you from my youth until now.

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

King James Version
And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

Lexham English Bible
And so then here is the king walking about before you. Now I am old and gray, but my sons (look at them!) are with you; and I have walked about before you from my youth until this day.

English Standard Version
And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

New Century Version
Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader since I was young.

New English Translation
Now look! This king walks before you. As for me, I am old and gray, though my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from the time of my youth till the present day.

Amplified Bible
"And now, here is the king walking before you. As for me, I am old and gray, and here are my sons with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

New American Standard Bible
"Now, here is the king walking before you, but as for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. And I have walked before you since my youth to this day.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now therefore behold, your King walketh before you, and I am old and graie headed, and beholde, my sonnes are with you: and I haue walked before you fro my childhode vnto this day.

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, here is the king walking before you, but I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my youth even to this day.

Contemporary English Version
You have seen how I have led you ever since I was a young man. I'm already old. My hair is gray, and my own sons are grown. Now you must see how well your king will lead you.

Complete Jewish Bible
There is the king, walking ahead of you; but I am old and gray-headed. There are my sons with you, and I have walked at your head from when I was a boy until today.

Darby Translation
And now behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and grey-headed; and behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth up to this day.

Easy-to-Read Version
Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and gray, but my sons are here with you. I have been your leader since I was young.

George Lamsa Translation
And now, behold, the king is before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and, behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

Good News Translation
and now you have him to lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are with you. I have been your leader from my youth until now.

Literal Translation
And now, behold, the king is walking before you, but I am old and gray. And, behold, my sons, they are with you. And I have walked before your face from my youth until this day.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And now lo, there goeth youre kynge before you. As for me, I am waxen olde and graye heered, and my sonnes are with you: and I haue gone before you fro my youth vp vnto this daye.

American Standard Version
And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day.

Bible in Basic English
And now, see, the king is before you: and I am old and grey-headed, and my sons are with you: I have been living before your eyes from my early days till now.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe therfore, your king walketh before you: and I am olde and graye headed, and behold my sonnes are with you, & I haue walked before you from my childehod vnto this day.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day.

King James Version (1611)
And now behold, the King walketh before you: and I am olde, and gray headed, and behold, my sonnes are with you: and I haue walked before you from my childhood vnto this day.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And now, behold, the king goes before you; and I am grown old and shall rest; and, behold, my sons are among you; and, behold, I have gone about before you from my youth to this day.

English Revised Version
And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and gray–headed; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day.

Berean Standard Bible
Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and now the king goith bifor you. Sotheli Y wexide eld and hoor; forsothe my sones ben with you; therfor Y lyuyde bifor you fro my yong wexynge age `til to this dai. And lo!

Young's Literal Translation
and now, lo, the king is walking habitually before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, lo, they [are] with you, and I have walked habitually before you from my youth till this day.

Update Bible Version
And now, see, the king walks before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, see, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth to this day.

Webster's Bible Translation
And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and gray-headed; and behold, my sons [are] with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

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

New King James Version
And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

New Living Translation
Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day.

New Life Bible
Now see, the king walks in front of you. But I am old. My hair is growing white. See, my sons are with you. I have walked in front of you since I was young, until this day.

New Revised Standard
See, it is the king who leads you now; I am old and gray, but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until this day.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, lo! the king going to and fro before you, But, I, am old and grey-headed, and, my sons, lo! they are with you, - But, I, have gone to and fro before you from my youth until this day.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And now the king goeth before you: but I am old and greyheaded: and my sons are with you: having then conversed with you from my youth until this day, behold here I am.

Revised Standard Version
And now, behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now, here is the king walking before you, but I am old and gray, and behold my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my youth even to this day.

Contextual Overview

¹Samuel addressed all Israel: "I've listened to everything you've said to me, listened carefully to every word, and I've given you a king. See for yourself: Your king among you, leading you! But now look at me: I'm old and gray, and my sons are still here. I've led you faithfully from my youth until this very day. Look at me! Do you have any complaints to bring before God and his anointed? Have I ever stolen so much as an ox or a donkey? Have I ever taken advantage of you or exploited you? Have I ever taken a bribe or played fast and loose with the law? Bring your complaint and I'll make it right." ⁴ "Oh no," they said, "never. You've never done any of that—never abused us, never lined your own pockets." ⁵ "That settles it then," said Samuel. " God is witness, and his anointed is witness that you find nothing against me—no faults, no complaints."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

walketh: 1 Samuel 8:20, Numbers 27:17

I am old: 1 Samuel 8:1, 1 Samuel 8:5, Psalms 71:18, Isaiah 46:3, Isaiah 46:4, 2 Timothy 4:6, 2 Peter 1:14

my sons: 1 Samuel 2:22, 1 Samuel 2:29, 1 Samuel 3:13, 1 Samuel 3:16, 1 Samuel 8:3

I have walked: 1 Samuel 3:19, 1 Samuel 3:20

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 14:47 - Ammon Job 23:11 - My foot Psalms 26:11 - I will Proverbs 16:31 - if Proverbs 22:6 - when Isaiah 1:26 - And I will

Cross-References

Genesis 12:4
So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound. Abram passed through the country as far as Shechem and the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites occupied the land.

Genesis 12:8
He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God .

Genesis 12:9
Abram kept moving, steadily making his way south, to the Negev.

Genesis 12:10
Then a famine came to the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live; it was a hard famine. As he drew near to Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, "Look. We both know that you're a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you they're going to say, ‘Aha! That's his wife!' and kill me. But they'll let you live. Do me a favor: tell them you're my sister. Because of you, they'll welcome me and let me live."

Genesis 12:14
When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.

Genesis 12:16
Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick.

Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife? Why did you say, ‘She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back—take her and get out!"

Genesis 15:5
Then he took him outside and said, "Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You're going to have a big family, Abram!"

Genesis 19:29
And that's the story: When God destroyed the Cities of the Plain, he was mindful of Abraham and first got Lot out of there before he blasted those cities off the face of the Earth.

Genesis 35:11
God continued, I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!— will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And now, behold, the king walketh before you,.... He invested with his office, and in the exercise of it, and goes in and out as the captain, commander, and leader of the people; it is expressive of his being in the full possession of regal power and authority, and therefore Samuel might speak the more freely, as he could not be thought to have any hope and expectation of being reinstated in his government, or to have parted with it with any regret; and he wisely took this opportunity of reproving the people for their sin of desiring a king, when Saul was settled and established in his kingdom, and when they were in the midst of all their mirth and jollity, who might, from the success that had attended this first adventure of their king, conclude that they had done a right and good thing in requesting to have one:

and I am old, and grey headed; and so unfit for government, and very willing to be eased of the burden of it: he must surely be more than fifty two years of age, as the Jews generally say he was, since it is not usual at such an age to be grey headed, :-; however, on this account he merited reverence and respect, and demanded attention:

and, behold, my sons are with you; as private persons in the condition of subjects, making no pretension to government; and if they had committed anything criminal, they were open to the law, and might be charged, and tried, and treated according to their deserts; and there they were, and might be asked what questions they thought proper with respect to what they knew of his conduct; and to be hostages or bail for him, if they could prove anything against him; or to be taken to make satisfaction for any injuries committed by him:

and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day; his manner of and conversation from his infancy to this time was well known to them, and he had spent all his days in the service of God, and for the good of Israel.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

My sons are with you - Possibly, however, a tinge of mortified feeling at the rejection of himself and his family, mixed with a desire to recommend his sons to the favor and goodwill of the nation, is at the bottom of this mention of them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 12:2. My sons are with you — It is generally agreed that these words intimate that Samuel had deprived them of their public employ, and reduced them to a level with the common people.

Have walked before you from my childhood — He had been a long, steady, and immaculate servant of the public.