1 Samuel 12

Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. ²Now, 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. ³Here I am: witness against me before Allah, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you. ⁴They said, You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from any man's hand. ⁵He said to them, Allah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand. They said, He is witness. ⁶Samuel said to the people, It is Allah who appointed Musa and Harun, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. ⁷Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before Allah concerning all the righteous acts of Allah, which he did to you and to your fathers. ⁸When Yaqub was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to Allah, then Allah sent Musa and Harun, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place. ⁹But they forgot Allah their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain 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. ¹⁰They cried to Allah, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Allah, and have worshiped the Baals and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will worship you. ¹¹Allah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived in safety. ¹²When you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us; when Allah your God was your king. ¹³Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for: and, behold, Allah has set a king over you. ¹⁴If you fear Allah, and worship him, and listen to his voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of Allah, and both you and your king are followers of Allah your God, good: ¹⁵but if you do not listen to the voice of Allah, but rebel against the commandment of Allah, then the hand of Allah will be against you, as it was against your fathers. ¹⁶Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Allah will do before your eyes. ¹⁷Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to Allah, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Allah, in asking for a king. ¹⁸So Samuel called to Allah; and Allah sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people became terrified of Allah and Samuel. ¹⁹They all said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to Allah your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil of asking for a king. ²⁰Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid; you have indeed done all this evil; yet do not turn aside from following Allah, but worship Allah with all your heart: ²¹and do not turn aside; for then you would go after worthless things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are worthless. ²²For Allah will not forsake his people[1] for his great name's sake, because it has pleased Allah to make you a people to himself. ²³Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Allah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ²⁴Only fear Allah, and worship him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he has done for you. ²⁵But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king."