1 Samuel 12

1 Samuel then said vnto all Israel, Behold, I haue hearkened vnto your voyce in all that yee sayde vnto mee, and haue appoynted a King ouer you.

Forsothe Samuel seide to al Israel, Lo! Y herde youre vois bi alle thingis whiche ye spaken to me, and Y ordeynede a kyng on you;

2 Now therefore behold, your King walketh before you, and I am old and graie headed, and beholde, my sonnes are with you: and I haue walked before you from my childehood vnto this day.

and now the king goith bifor you. Sotheli Y wexide eld and hoor; forsothe my sones ben with you; therfor Y lyuyde bifor you fro my yong wexynge age `til to this dai. And lo!

3 Beholde, here I am: beare recorde of me before the Lord and before his Anointed. Whose oxe haue I taken? or whose asse haue I taken? or whome haue I done wrong to? or whome haue I hurt? or of whose hande haue I receiued any bribe, to blinde mine eyes therewith, and I will restore it you?

Y am redi; speke ye to me bifor the Lord, and bifor `the crist of hym; whether Y took `the oxe of ony man, ether the asse; if Y falsly chalengide ony mon; yf Y oppresside ony man; if Y took yifte of `the hond of ony man; and Y schal `dispise it to dai, and Y schal restore to you.

4 Then they sayde, Thou hast done vs no wrong, nor hast hurt vs, neither hast thou taken ought of any mans hand.

And thei seiden, Thou hast not falsly chalengid vs, nether hast oppressid vs, nether hast take ony thing of `the hond of ony man.

5 And he saide vnto them, The Lord is witnesse against you, and his Anointed is witnesse this day, that yee haue founde nought in mine handes. And they answered, He is witnesse.

And he seide to hem, The Lord is witnesse ayens you, and his crist is witnesse in this day; for ye han not founde ony thing in myn hond. And thei seiden, Witnesse.

6 Then Samuel sayde vnto the people, It is the Lord that made Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt.

And Samuel seide to the puple, The Lord, that made Moises and Aaron, and ledde youre fadris out of the lond of Egipt, is present;

7 Nowe therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord according to all the righteousnesse of the Lord, which he shewed to you and to your fathers.

now therfor stonde ye, that Y stryue bi doom ayens you bifor the Lord, of alle the mercyes of the Lord, whiche he dide with you, and with youre fadris.

8 After that Iaakob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried vnto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron which brought your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

Hou Jacob entride in to Egipt, and youre fadris crieden to the Lord; and the Lord sente Moises and Aaron, and ledde youre fadris out of Egipt, and settide hem in this place.

9 And when they forgate the Lord their God, he solde them into the hand of Sisera captaine of the hoste of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistims, and into the hande of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

Whiche foryaten her Lord God; and he bitook hem in the hond of Sisara, maystir of the chyualrie of Asor, and in the hond of Filisteis, and in the hond of the kyng of Moab; and thei fouyten ayens hem.

10 And they cried vnto the Lord, and saide, We haue sinned, because we haue forsaken the Lord, and haue serued Baalim and Ashtaroth. Nowe therefore deliuer vs out of the handes of our enemies, and we will serue thee.

Sotheli afterward thei crieden to the Lord, and seiden, We synneden, for we forsoken the Lord, and seruyden Baalym and Astroth; now therfor delyuere thou vs fro `the hond of oure enemyes, and we schulen serue thee.

11 Therefore the Lord sent Ierubbaal and Bedan and Iphtaph, and Samuel, and deliuered you out of the handes of your enemies on euery side, and yee dwelled safe.

And the Lord sente Gerobaal, and `Bedan, that is, Sampson, and Barach, and Jepte, and Samuel, and delyuerede you fro the hond of youre enemyes bi cumpass; and ye dwelliden tristili.

12 Notwithstanding when you sawe, that Nahash the King of the children of Ammon came against you, ye sayde vnto me, No, but a King shall reigne ouer vs: when yet the Lord your God was your King.

Forsothe ye sien, that Naas, kyng of the sones of Amon, cam ayens you; and ye seiden to me, counseilynge to axe noon other kyng than God, Nay, but a kyng schal comaunde to vs; whanne `youre Lord God regnede in you.

13 Nowe therefore beholde the King whome yee haue chosen, and whome yee haue desired: loe therefore, the Lord hath set a King ouer you.

Now therfor youre kyng is redi, whom ye han chose and axid; lo! the Lord yaf to you a kyng.

14 If ye wil feare the Lord and serue him, and heare his voyce, and not disobey the worde of the Lord, both yee, and the King that reigneth ouer you, shall follow the Lord your God.

If ye dreden the Lord, and seruen hym, and heren his vois, and wraththen not the `mouth of the Lord; ye and youre kyng, that comaundith to you, schulen sue youre Lord God.

15 But if yee will not obey the voyce of the Lord, but disobey the Lordes mouth, then shall the hand of the Lord be vpon you, and on your fathers.

Forsothe if ye heren not the vois of `the Lord, but wraththen his word, the hond of the Lord schal be on you, and on youre fadris.

16 Nowe also stande and see this great thing which the Lord will doe before your eyes.

But also now stonde ye, and se this gret thing which the Lord schal make in youre siyt.

17 Is it not nowe wheat haruest? I wil call vnto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and raine, that yee may perceiue and see, howe that your wickednesse is great, which ye haue done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a King.

Whether heruest of whete is not `to dai? I schal inwardli clepe the Lord, and he schal yyue voices, `that is, thundris, and reynes; and ye schulen wite, and schulen se, for ye axynge a kyng on you han do greuouse yuel to you in the siyt of the Lord.

18 Then Samuel called vnto the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and raine the same day: and all the people feared the Lord and Samuel exceedingly.

And Samuel criede to the Lord, and the Lord yaf voices and reynes in that dai.

19 And all the people said vnto Samuel, Pray for thy seruaunts vnto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we haue sinned in asking vs a King, beside all our other sinnes.

And al the puple dredde greetli the Lord and Samuel; and al the puple seide to Samuel, Preye thou for thi seruauntis to thi Lord God, that we die not; for we addiden yuel to alle oure synnes, that we axiden a kyng to vs.

20 And Samuel said vnto the people, Feare not. (ye haue indeede done all this wickednesse, yet depart not from following the Lord, but serue the Lord with all your heart,

Forsothe Samuel seide to the puple, `Nyle ye drede; ye han do al this yuel; netheles `nyle ye go awey fro the bak of the Lord, but serue ye the Lord in al youre herte;

21 Neither turne yee backe: for that shoulde be after vaine things which cannot profite you, nor deliuer you, for they are but vanitie)

and nyle ye bowe aftir veyn thingis, that schulen not profite to you, nether schulen delyuere you; for tho ben veyn thingis.

22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great Names sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.

And the Lord schal not forsake his puple for his grete name; for the Lord swoor to make you a puple to hym silf.

23 Moreouer God forbid, that I should sinne against the Lord, and cease praying for you, but I will shewe you the good and right way.

Forsothe this synne be fer fro me in the Lord, that Y ceesse to preye for you; and Y schal teche you a riytful weie and good.

24 Therefore feare you the Lord, and serue him in the trueth with all your hearts, and consider howe great things he hath done for you.

Therfor drede ye the Lord, and `serue ye hym in treuthe, and of al youre herte; for ye sien tho grete thingis, whiche he `dide in you;

25 But if ye doe wickedly, ye shall perish, both yee, and your King.

that if ye contynuen in malice, bothe ye and youre kyng schulen perische to gidere.