Study Desk

Samuel's Farewell Speech

Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened^(a) to everything you said to me and have set a king^(b) over you.

Now you have a king as your leader.^(c) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons^(d) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day.

Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.^(e) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey^(f) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe^(g) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done^(h) any of these things, I will make it right."⁽ⁱ⁾

"You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."

Samuel said to them, "The Lord is witness^(j) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything^(k) in my hand.^(l)" "He is witness," they said.

Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought^(m) your ancestors up out of Egypt.

Now then, stand⁽ⁿ⁾ here, because I am going to confront^(o) you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts^(p) performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

"After Jacob^(q) entered Egypt, they cried^(r) to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent^(s) Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

"But they forgot^(t) the Lord their God; so he sold them^(u) into the hand of Sisera,^(v) the commander of the army of Hazor,^(w) and into the hands of the Philistines^(x) and the king of Moab,^(y) who fought against them.

They cried^(z) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken^(aa) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.^(ab) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.'

Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,^[a](ac) Barak,^[b](ad) Jephthah^(ae) and Samuel,^[c](af) and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

"But when you saw that Nahash^(ag) king^(ah) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule^(ai) over us'—even though the Lord your God was your king.

Now here is the king^(aj) you have chosen, the one you asked^(ak) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.

If you fear^(al) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel^(am) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good!

But if you do not obey the Lord , and if you rebel against^(an) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

"Now then, stand still^(ao) and see^(ap) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!

Is it not wheat harvest^(aq) now? I will call^(ar) on the Lord to send thunder^(as) and rain.^(at) And you will realize what an evil^(au) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king."

Then Samuel called on the Lord ,^(av) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe^(aw) of the Lord and of Samuel.

The people all said to Samuel, "Pray^(ax) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,^(ay) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king."

"Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil;^(az) yet do not turn away from the Lord , but serve the Lord with all your heart.

Do not turn away after useless^(ba) idols.^(bb) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

For the sake^(bc) of his great name^(bd) the Lord will not reject^(be) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make^(bf) you his own.

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray^(bg) for you. And I will teach^(bh) you the way that is good and right.

But be sure to fear^(bi) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;^(bj) consider^(bk) what great^(bl) things he has done for you.

Yet if you persist^(bm) in doing evil, both you and your king^(bn) will perish."^(bo)