Chapter Twelve

Samuel’s laying down of the office of judge of the people. Samuel’s farewell address to the people.

1 Samuel 12:1. And Samuel said to all Israel: “Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have set a king over you; 1 Samuel 12:2. And now 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 until this day; 1 Samuel 12:3. Here I am; witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to shut my eyes against him? I will make restitution to you. 1 Samuel 12:4. And they said: “You have not defrauded us, and you have not oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from anyone. 1 Samuel 12:5. And he said to them: “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said: “He is witness. The meaning of the speech is this: “Your wish has been fulfilled, you have a king such as you desired. My activity as judge among you is finished. I do not know what kind of king he will be for you; but as for me, I cannot reproach myself with any injustice toward you...” The people testified to the truth of Samuel’s words, after which the prophet turned to the people with a word of instruction, fully confident that the people would see in this instruction only a desire for the good of this people (1 Sam 12:6-25 verse).

1 Samuel 12:6. Then Samuel said to the people: “[Witness] The Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt. 1 Samuel 12:7. “Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds which the Lord has done to you and to your fathers. 1 Samuel 12:8. “When Jacob went into Egypt, and your fathers cried to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 1 Samuel 12:9. “But they forgot the Lord their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 1 Samuel 12:10. “But when they cried to the Lord and said: ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Astartes; now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You,’ 1 Samuel 12:11. “Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt in safety. 1 Samuel 12:12. “But when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me: ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your King. 1 Samuel 12:13. “Now therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 1 Samuel 12:14. “If you fear the Lord and serve Him and hearken to His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God; [then the hand of the Lord will not be against you]; 1 Samuel 12:15. “But if you do not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 1 Samuel 12:16. “Now stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes: 1 Samuel 12:17. “Is it not wheat harvest now? But I will call on the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, and you shall know and see how great is the sin which you have committed in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king. 1 Samuel 12:18. And Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 1 Samuel 12:19. And 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 the sin of asking for a king. 1 Samuel 12:20. And Samuel said to the people: “Do not be afraid; you have done this evil, but do not turn aside from following the Lord and serve the Lord with all your heart. 1 Samuel 12:21. And do not go after empty idols, which cannot profit you and cannot deliver; for they are nothing; 1 Samuel 12:22. “And the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake, because the Lord has been pleased to make you His people; 1 Samuel 12:23. “And as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and right way; 1 Samuel 12:24. “Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for you have seen what great things He has done for you; 1 Samuel 12:25. “But if you do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king. The meaning of the prophet’s exhortation is this: “Up to now you had no king, yet the Lord God always saved you from your enemies, as soon as you turned to Him. But suddenly you demanded an earthly king for your protection from enemies! As if the Lord could no longer save you and as if an earthly king could himself provide this salvation for you! You have displayed shameful lack of faith in God’s help and excessive reliance on your own spear and sword. Know then that just as without a king you were saved from enemies only when you did not turn away from the Lord and served Him with all your heart, so also it will be with a king. Royal power will be powerless to save you as soon as you yourselves lack inner moral strength. If you and your king follow the Lord your God, no evil will befall you; but if you rebel against the Lord’s commandments, know that you and your king will perish. And that all I have said is just, the Lord will confirm it now with a sign” (16–18). “Is it not wheat harvest now? But I will call on the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain.” In Palestine there are two periods of rain in a year – early and late (Deut 11:14); the early period (corresponding to the beginning of the Hebrew civil year from September) – this is the autumn period of rains, falling in October and November; the late period – spring, falling at the end of February, March and the beginning of April. In May and the beginning of June, when the wheat harvest takes place, there is no rain at all: Canaanite rain at this time would be as strange as, in the words of the Wisdom, snow in summer (Prov 26:1).