Samuel's Charge To Israel
1 Samuel said to all Israel: I listened to everything you said to me and established a king over you.
1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, (A)I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and I (B)have (a)appointed a king over you.
1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have carefully listened to everything you said to me and placed a king over you.(A)
1 Then Samuel told all Israel, "Take note! I've listened to you, to everything you have told me, and I've appointed a king over you.
2 Now you have a king as your leader. I am old and gray and my sons are with you. I walked before you (served as your leader) from childhood until this day.
2 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.
2 Now, (C)here is the king walking before you, but (D)I am old and gray, and behold (E)my sons are with you. And (F)I have walked before you from my youth even to this day.
2 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 today.
2 Now here is the king walking before you, while I'm old and gray, and my sons are with you. I've walked before you from my youth until this day.
3 Here I am! Testify against me before Jehovah and before his anointed one. Whose bull have I stolen? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I cheated anyone? Have I oppressed any? Have I ever taken a bribe? Tell me and I will make it right.
3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
3 Here I am; bear witness against me before the Lord and (G)His anointed. (H)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or (I)from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.”
3 Here I am. Bring charges against me before the Lord and His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken?(B) Whom have I wronged or mistreated? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to overlook something?(a)(b)(C) I will return it to you.”
3 Here I am. Testify against me in the LORD's presence and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? Who have I cheated? Who have I oppressed? Who bribed me to look the other way? I'll restore it to you."
4 The people answered: You have not cheated us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from anyone.
4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”
4 “You haven’t wronged us, you haven’t mistreated us, and you haven’t taken anything from anyone’s hand,” they responded.
4 They said, "You haven't cheated us or oppressed us, and you haven't taken anything from anyone's hand."
5 Samuel replied: Jehovah and the king he has chosen are witnesses today that you have found me to be completely innocent. They answered: That is right, Jehovah is our witness!
5 And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that (J)you have found nothing (K)in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
5 He said to them, “The Lord is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today that you haven’t found anything(D) in my hand.”(E)“He is a witness,” they said.
5 He told them, "Today the LORD is testifying, along with his anointed, that you haven't found any bribes in my possession." They said, "He's a witness."
6 Samuel continued: Jehovah chose Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt.
6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who (b)(L)appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “The Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron(F) and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt, is a witness.(c)
6 Then Samuel told the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now stand where you are. I will judge you before Jehovah by reminding you of all the mighty actions Jehovah did to save you and your ancestors.
7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
7 So now, take your stand, (M)that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did for you and your fathers.
7 Now present yourselves, so I may confront you before the Lord about all the righteous acts He has done for you and your ancestors.
7 Now stand up and I'll pass judgment on you in light of the LORD's righteous acts that he did for you and your ancestors.
8 When Jacob and his family went to Egypt the Egyptians oppressed them. Your ancestors cried to Jehovah for help. He sent Moses and Aaron, who brought them out of Egypt and settled them in this land.
8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
8 (N)When Jacob went into Egypt and (O)your fathers cried out to the Lord, then (P)the Lord sent Moses and Aaron (c)(Q)who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
8 “When Jacob went to Egypt,(d) your ancestors cried out to the Lord,(G) and He sent them Moses and Aaron, who led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.(H)
8 After Jacob went to Egypt, and your ancestors cried out to the LORD, he sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 But the people forgot Jehovah their God. So he let the Philistines and the king of Moab and Sisera, commander of the army of the city of Hazor, fight against your ancestors and conquer them.
9 And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold 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 fought against them.
9 But (R)they forgot the Lord their God, so (S)He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and (T)into the hand of the Philistines and (U)into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
9 But they forgot the Lord their God, so He handed them over to Sisera(I) commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab.(J) These enemies fought against them.
9 But they forgot the LORD their God, so he handed them over to the domination of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into domination by the Philistines and by the king of Moab, and Israel fought against them.
10 Again they cried to Jehovah for help! They said: 'We have sinned, because we turned away from you, Jehovah. We worshiped the idols of the Baals and the Ashtoreth (Greek: Astarte). Rescue us from our enemies. We will worship you!'
10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
10 (V)They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served (W)the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but (X)now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’
10 Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we abandoned the Lord and worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies,(K) and we will serve You.’
10 "Then they cried out to the LORD: "We have sinned because we have forsaken the LORD and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'
11 Jehovah sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and finally me. Each of us rescued you from your enemies. You lived in safety.
11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
11 Then the Lord sent (Y)Jerubbaal and (d)(Z)Bedan and (AA)Jephthah and (AB)Samuel, and delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.
11 So the Lord sent Jerubbaal,(L) Barak,(e)(M) Jephthah,(N) and Samuel.(O) He rescued you from the power of the enemies around you, and you lived securely.
11 Then the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely.
12 But when you saw that King Nahash of Ammon was about to attack you, you rejected Jehovah as your king. You said to me: 'We want a (human) king to rule us.'
12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.
12 When you saw (AC)that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘(AD)No, but a king shall reign over us,’ (AE)although the Lord your God was your king.
12 But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king rule over us’—even though the Lord your God is your king.
12 But when you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was coming to fight you, you told me, "No, let a king rule over us instead,' even though the LORD your God was your king.
The New Kingship
13 Now here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him. Now Jehovah gives him to you.
13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.
13 Now therefore, (AF)here is the king whom you have chosen, (AG)whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you.
13 “Now here is the king you’ve chosen,(P) the one you requested.(Q) Look, this is the king the Lord has placed over you.
13 "Now, here is the king you have chosen, the one whom you asked for. See, the Lord has appointed a king over you.
14 All will go well with you if you honor Jehovah your God, serve him, listen to him, and obey his commands. If you and your king follow Jehovah all will be well.
14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
14 (AH)If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the (e)command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God.
14 If you fear the Lord,(R) worship and obey Him, and if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s command, then both you and the king who rules over you will follow the Lord your God.
14 If you fear the LORD, serve him, obey him, and don't rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who rules over you will truly follow the LORD your God.
15 But if you do not listen to Jehovah but disobey his commands, he will be against you and your king. He was against your fathers because they disobeyed.
15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
15 (AI)If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the (f)command of the Lord, then (AJ)the hand of the Lord will be against you, (AK)as it was against your fathers.
15 However, if you disobey the Lord(S) and rebel against His command, the Lord’s hand will be against you(T) and against your ancestors.(f)(U)
15 But if you don't obey the LORD and rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the LORD will turn against you as he did against your ancestors.
16 So then, stand where you are, and you will see the great thing that Jehovah will do.
16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.
16 “Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.(V)
16 "Now then, stand up and see this great thing that the LORD is about to do before your eyes.
17 It is the dry season and the wheat harvest. I will pray and Jehovah will send thunder and rain. When this happens, you will realize that you committed a great sin against Jehovah when you asked him for a king.
17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
17 (AM)Is it not the wheat harvest today? (AN)I will call to the Lord, that He may send (g)thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that (AO)your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king.”
17 Isn’t the wheat harvest today?(W) I will call on the Lord and He will send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves.”(X)
17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I'll call upon the LORD, and he will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and understand that you have done a great evil in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king for yourselves."
18 Samuel prayed. That same day Jehovah sent thunder and rain. Then all the people became afraid of Jehovah and of Samuel.
18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent (h)thunder and rain that day; and (AP)all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
18 Samuel called on the Lord, and on that day the Lord sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.(Y)
18 Samuel called upon the LORD that same day, and the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
19 They said to Samuel: Please pray to Jehovah your God for us, that we will not die. We now realize that we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a (human) king.
19 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.
19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “(AQ)Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins (AR)this evil by asking for ourselves a king.”
19 They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants,(Z) so we won’t die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of requesting a king for ourselves.”(AA)
19 Then all the people told Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we don't die, because we made all our sins worse by asking for a king for ourselves."
20 Do not be afraid! Samuel answered. Even though you have done such an evil thing, do not turn away from Jehovah. Serve him with all your heart.
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
20 Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet (AS)do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.
20 Samuel replied, “Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don’t turn away from following the Lord.(AB) Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart.
20 Samuel told all the people, "Don't be afraid. You have done all this evil. Yet don't turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
21 Do not go after false gods and empty things. They cannot help you or save you. They are useless.
21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
21 You must not turn aside, for then you would go after (AT)futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.
21 Don’t turn away to follow worthless(g) things that can’t profit or deliver you; they are worthless.(AC)
21 Don't turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or deliver because they're useless.
22 Jehovah made a solemn promise. He will not abandon you. You are his people for his great name's sake.
22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
22 For (AU)the Lord will not abandon His people (AV)on account of His great name, because the Lord (AW)has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.
22 The Lord will not abandon His people,(AD) because of His great name and because He has determined to make you His own people.(AE)
22 Indeed, the LORD won't abandon His people for the sake of His great name, for the LORD desires to make you a people for himself.
23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah by no longer praying for you. Instead, I will teach you what is good and right for you to do.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
23 Moreover, as for me, (AX)far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but (AY)I will instruct you in the good and right way.
23 “As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.(AF) I will teach you the good and right way.
23 Now as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. I'll also instruct you in the way that is good and right.
24 Reverence Jehovah and serve him in truth with all your heart. Remember the great things he has done for you.
24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
24 (AZ)Only (i)fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider (BA)what great things He has done for you.
24 Above all, fear the Lord and worship Him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things He has done for you.(AG)
24 Only, fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Indeed, consider what great things he has done for you.