(KJV) 1 Samuel 121

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⥃Samuel’s Farewell Address

[1] And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold2, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made3 a king over you. [2] And now, behold, the king walketh4 before you: and I am old5 and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons6 [are] with you: and I have walked7 before you from my childhood unto this day. [3] Behold, here I [am]: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed8: whose ox9 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] bribe10 to blind mine eyes11 therewith? and I will12 restore it you. [4] And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.13 [5] And he said unto them, The Lord14 [is] witness against you, and his anointed15 [is] witness this day, that ye have16 not found ought in my hand17. And they answered, [He is] witness.

[6] And Samuel said unto the people, [It is] the Lord18 that advanced19 Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. [7] Now therefore stand still, that I may reason20 with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts21 of the Lord, which he did to22 you and to your fathers. [8] When Jacob23 was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried24 unto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses25 and Aaron, which brought26 forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them27 dwell in this place. [9] And when they forgat28 the Lord their God, he sold29 them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines30, and into the31 hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. [10] And they32 cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim33 and Ashtaroth: but now deliver34 us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. [11] And the Lord sent Jerubbaal35, and Bedan36, and Jephthah37, and Samuel38, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. [12] And when ye saw that Nahash39 the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay40; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord41 your God [was] your king. [13] Now therefore behold42 the king whom ye43 have chosen, [and] whom ye have desired44! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. [14] If ye will45 fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment46 of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue47 following the Lord your God: [15] But if ye48 will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against49 the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as [it was] against your fathers.

[16] Now therefore stand50 and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. [17] [Is it51] not wheat harvest to day? I will call52 unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness53 [is] great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king. [18] So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder54 and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared55 the Lord and Samuel. [19] And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy56 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.

[20] [¶]And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not57: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not58 aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; [21] And turn ye not aside: for [then should ye go] after vain [things59], which cannot profit60 nor deliver; for they [are] vain. [22] For the Lord61 will not forsake his people for his great62 name’s sake: because it hath63 pleased the Lord to make you his people. [23] Moreover as for me, God forbid64 that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing65 to pray for you: but I will teach66 you the good67 and the right way: [24] Only fear the Lord68, and serve him in truth69 with all your heart: for consider70 how great [things71] he hath done for you. [25] But if72 ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and73 your king.

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  1. 1Sam 12:1, Samuel testifies his integrity; 1Sam 12:6, He reproves the people of ingratitude; 1Sam 12:16, He terrifies them with thunder in harvest time; 1Sam 12:20, he comforts them in God’s mercy. ↩

  2. 1Sam 8:5-8, 1Sam 8:19-22 ↩

  3. 1Sam 10:1, 1Sam 10:24, 1Sam 11:14-15 ↩

  4. 1Sam 8:20; Num 27:17 ↩

  5. 1Sam 8:1, 1Sam 8:5; Ps 71:18; Isa 46:3-4; 2Tim 4:6; 2Pet 1:14 ↩

  6. 1Sam 2:22, 1Sam 2:29, 1Sam 3:13, 1Sam 3:16, 1Sam 8:3 ↩

  7. 1Sam 3:19-20 ↩

  8. 1Sam 12:5, 1Sam 10:1, 1Sam 24:6; 2Sam 1:14-16; Matt 22:21; Rom 13:1-7 ↩

  9. Num 16:15; Acts 20:33; 2Cor 12:14; 1Thess 2:5, 1Thess 2:10; 1Pet 5:2 ↩

  10. Heb. ransom ↩

  11. or, that I should hide mine eyes at him, Exod 23:8; Deut 16:19 ↩

  12. Exod 22:4; Lev 6:4; Luke 19:8 ↩

  13. Ps 37:5-6; Dan 6:4; 3John 1:12 ↩

  14. Job 31:35-40, Job 42:7 ↩

  15. 1Sam 26:9 ↩

  16. John 18:38; Acts 23:9, Acts 24:16, Acts 24:20; 1Cor 4:4; 2Cor 1:12 ↩

  17. Exod 22:4; Ps 17:3 ↩

  18. Exod 6:26; Neh 9:9-14; Ps 77:19-20, Ps 78:12-72, Ps 99:6, Ps 105:26, Ps 105:41; Isa 63:7-14; Hos 12:13; Mic 6:4 ↩

  19. or, made ↩

  20. Isa 1:18, Isa 5:3-4; Ezek 18:25-30; Mic 6:2-3; Acts 17:3 ↩

  21. Heb. righteousnesses or benefits, Judg 5:11 ↩

  22. Heb. with ↩

  23. Gen 46:5-7; Num 20:15; Acts 7:15 ↩

  24. Exod 2:23-24, Exod 3:9 ↩

  25. 1Sam 12:6; Exod 3:10, Exod 4:14-16, Exod 4:27-31, Exod 6:26 ↩

  26. Exod 12:51, Exod 14:30-31 ↩

  27. Josh 1:2-4, Josh 1:6, Josh 3:10-13; Ps 44:1-3, Ps 78:54-55, Ps 105:44 ↩

  28. Deut 32:18; Judg 3:7; Ps 106:21; Jer 2:32 ↩

  29. Deut 32:30; Judg 2:14, Judg 3:8, Judg 4:2; Isa 50:1-2 ↩

  30. Judg 10:7, Judg 13:1 ↩

  31. Judg 3:12; Isa 63:10 ↩

  32. 1Sam 7:2; Judg 3:9, Judg 3:15, Judg 4:3, Judg 6:7, Judg 10:10, Judg 10:15; Ps 78:34-35, Ps 106:44; Isa 26:16 ↩

  33. Judg 2:13, Judg 3:7 ↩

  34. Judg 10:15-16; Isa 33:22; Luke 1:74-75; 2Cor 5:14-15 ↩

  35. Judg 6:14, Judg 6:32, Judg 8:29, Judg 8:35 ↩

  36. Bedan, whose name occurs no where else as a judge of Israel, Bp. Patrick and others suppose to be a contraction of ben Dan, "the son of Dan;" by which they suppose Samson is meant, as the Targum reads. The LXX, Syriac, and Arabic, however, instead of Bedan read Barak; and the two latter versions, instead of Samuel have Samson. These readings are adopted by Houbigant, and appear to be genuine; for it is not probable that Samuel would enumerate himself. Judg. 13:1-16:31 ↩

  37. Judg 11:1-33 ↩

  38. 1Sam 7:13 ↩

  39. 1Sam 11:1-2 ↩

  40. 1Sam 8:3, 1Sam 8:5-6, 1Sam 8:19-20; Judg 9:18, Judg 9:56-57 ↩

  41. 1Sam 8:7, 1Sam 10:19; Gen 17:7; Exod 19:5-6; Num 23:21; Judg 8:23; Ps 74:12; Isa 33:22; Hos 13:10 ↩

  42. 1Sam 10:24, 1Sam 11:15 ↩

  43. 1Sam 8:5, 1Sam 9:20 ↩

  44. Ps 78:29-31; Hos 13:11; Acts 13:21 ↩

  45. Lev 20:1-13; Deut 28:1-14; Josh 24:14, Josh 24:20; Ps 81:12-15; Isa 3:10; Rom 2:7 ↩

  46. Heb. mouth ↩

  47. Heb. be after ↩

  48. Lev 26:14-30; Deut 28:15-68; Josh 24:20; Isa 1:20, Isa 3:11; Rom 2:8-9 ↩

  49. 1Sam 12:9 ↩

  50. 1Sam 12:7, 1Sam 15:16; Exod 14:13, Exod 14:31 ↩

  51. In northern latitudes, thunder and rain are far from being un-common during harvest. But rain is hardly ever known in Palestine during that season, which commences about the end of June, or beginning of July. This fact is abundantly confirmed by modern travellers, and is demonstrative to every unprejudiced reader of the Holy Scriptures, that the thunder and rain, which at Samuel's invocation, was sent at this season of the year, was a miraculous interposition of the power of God; for we read in 1Sam 12:16, it was a "great thing which the Lord will do." Thus were the Israelites warned of their sin in having asked a king, and of the omnipotence of that God, whose gracious promises they virtually neglected by this act. Prov 26:1 ↩

  52. 1Sam 7:9-10; Josh 10:12; Ps 99:6; Jer 15:1; Jas 5:16-18 ↩

  53. 1Sam 8:7 ↩

  54. Exod 9:23-25; Rev 11:5-6 ↩

  55. Exod 14:31; Ezra 10:9; Ps 106:12-13 ↩

  56. 1Sam 7:5, 1Sam 7:8; Gen 20:7; Exod 9:28, Exod 10:17; Job 42:8; Ps 78:34-35; Isa 26:16; Mal 1:9; Acts 8:24; Jas 5:15; 1John 5:16 ↩

  57. Exod 20:19-20; 1Pet 3:16 ↩

  58. Deut 11:16, Deut 31:29; Josh 23:6; Ps 40:4, Ps 101:3, Ps 125:5; Jer 3:1 ↩

  59. Deut 32:21; Jer 2:5, Jer 2:13, Jer 10:8, Jer 10:15, Jer 14:22, Jer 16:19; Jonah 2:8; Hab 2:18; 1Cor 8:4 ↩

  60. Ps 115:4-8; Isa 41:23-24, Isa 44:9-10, Isa 45:20, Isa 46:7; Jer 10:15 ↩

  61. Deut 31:17; 1Kgs 6:13; 2Kgs 21:14; 1Chr 28:9; 2Chr 15:2; Ps 94:14; Isa 41:17, Isa 42:16; Jer 33:24-26; Lam 3:31-32, Lam 5:20; Heb 13:5 ↩

  62. Exod 32:12; Num 14:13-19; Deut 32:26-27; Josh 7:9; Ps 106:8; Isa 37:35; Isa 43:25, Isa 48:11; Jer 14:7, Jer 14:21; Ezek 20:9, Ezek 20:14; Eph 1:6, Eph 1:12 ↩

  63. Exod 19:5-6; Deut 7:7-8, Deut 9:5, Deut 14:2; Mal 1:2; Matt 11:26; John 15:16; Rom 9:13-18, Rom 11:29; 1Cor 4:7; Phil 1:6 ↩

  64. Acts 12:5; Rom 1:9; Col 1:9; 1Thess 3:10; 2Tim 1:3 ↩

  65. Heb. from ceasing ↩

  66. Ps 34:11; Prov 4:11; Eccl 12:10; Acts 20:20; Col 1:28 ↩

  67. 1Kgs 8:36; 2Chr 6:27; Jer 6:16 ↩

  68. Job 28:28; Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7; Exod 12:13; Heb 12:29 ↩

  69. Ps 119:80; John 1:47 ↩

  70. Ezra 9:13-14; Isa 5:12; Rom 12:1 ↩

  71. or, what a great thing, etc. Deut 10:21; Ps 126:2-3 ↩

  72. Deut 32:15-44; Josh 24:20; Isa 3:11 ↩

  73. 1Sam 31:1-5; Deut 28:36; Hos 10:3 ↩