Samuel’s Farewell Speech
1Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”
4“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”
5Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
“He is witness,” they said.
6Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. 7Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.
8“After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9“But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,12:11 Also called Gideon Barak,12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan Jephthah and Samuel,12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12“But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
16“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”
18Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.
19The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
Hotuba Ya Samweli Ya Kuaga
112:1 1Sam 8:7; 11:15; 10:25Samweli akawaambia Israeli wote, “Nimesikiliza kila kitu mlichoniambia nami nimewawekea mfalme juu yenu. 212:2 1Sam 8:5; 8:3; Hes 27:17Sasa mnaye mfalme kama kiongozi wenu. Lakini kwa habari yangu mimi ni mzee na nina mvi, nao wanangu wapo hapa pamoja nanyi. Nimekuwa kiongozi wenu tangu ujana wangu mpaka siku hii ya leo. 312:3 1Sam 9:16; 24:6; 26:9-11; 2Sam 1; 14; 19:21; Za 105:15; Hes 16:15; Kut 18:21; 20:17; 1Sam 8; 3; Mdo 20:33; Law 25:14; Kum 16:19Mimi ninasimama hapa. Shuhudieni juu yangu mbele za Bwana na mpakwa mafuta wake. Nimechukua maksai wa nani? Nimechukua punda wa nani? Ni nani nimepata kumdanganya? Ni nani nimepata kumwonea? Ni kutoka kwenye mkono wa nani nimepokea rushwa ili kunifanya nifumbe macho yangu? Kama nimefanya chochote katika hivi, mimi nitawarudishia.”
4Wakajibu, “Hujatudanganya wala kutuonea. Hujapokea chochote kutoka kwenye mkono wa mtu awaye yote.”
512:5 Mwa 31:50; Mdo 23:9; 24:20; Kut 22:4; Yn 18:38; 2Kor 1:12; Za 17:3Samweli akawaambia, “Bwana ni shahidi juu yenu, pia mpakwa mafuta wake ni shahidi siku hii ya leo, kwamba hamkukuta chochote mkononi mwangu.”
Wakasema, “Yeye ni shahidi.”
612:6 Kut 6:26; 3:10; Mik 6:4; Neh 9:9-14; 2Kor 1:12; Za 17:3Kisha Samweli akawaambia watu, “Bwana ndiye alimchagua Mose na Aroni, na kuwaleta baba zenu akiwapandisha kutoka Misri. 712:7 Yos 24:1; Isa 1:18; 3:14; Yer 2:9; 25:31; Eze 17:20; 20:35; Mik 6:1-5; Amu 5; 11Sasa basi, simameni hapa, kwa sababu nitakabiliana nanyi kwa ushahidi mbele za Bwana wa matendo yote ya haki yaliyofanywa na Bwana kwenu na kwa baba zenu.
812:8 Mwa 46:6; Kut 2:23; 3:10; 4:16“Baada ya Yakobo kuingia Misri, walimlilia Bwana kwa ajili ya msaada, naye Bwana akawatuma Mose na Aroni, ambao waliwatoa baba zenu kutoka Misri na kuwakalisha mahali hapa.
912:9 Kum 32:18; 32:30; Amu 3:7; 4:2; 10:7; 3:12; 13:1; Yos 11:1“Lakini wakamsahau Bwana Mungu wao, hivyo Mungu akawauza katika mkono wa Sisera, jemadari wa jeshi la Hazori na katika mikono ya Wafilisti na mfalme wa Moabu, ambaye alipigana dhidi yao. 1012:10 Amu 3:9; 2:13; 10:10, 15; 1Sam 8:8; 7:3Wakamlilia Bwana na kusema, ‘Tumetenda dhambi; tumemwacha Bwana na kutumikia Mabaali na Maashtorethi. Lakini sasa tuokoe kutoka mikono ya adui zetu, nasi tutakutumikia.’ 1112:11 Amu 6:32; 4:6; 11:1; 1Sam 7:15Ndipo Bwana akawatuma Yerub-Baali,12:11 Yerub-Baali pia aliitwa Gideoni. Baraka, Yefta na Samweli, naye akawaokoa kutoka mikononi mwa adui zenu kila upande, ili ninyi mpate kukaa salama.
1212:12 1Sam 11:1; 8:5; 25:30; 1Nya 5:2; 2Sam 5:2; Amu 8:3-23“Lakini mlipomwona yule Nahashi mfalme wa Waamoni anakuja dhidi yenu, mliniambia, ‘Hapana, tunataka mfalme atutawale,’ hata ingawa Bwana Mungu wenu alikuwa mfalme wenu. 1312:13 1Sam 8:5; 9:20; 10:24; Hos 13:11Sasa huyu hapa ndiye mfalme mliyemchagua, yule mliyeomba; tazameni, Bwana amemweka mfalme juu yenu. 1412:14 Yos 24:14; Yer 4:17; Mao 1:18; Kum 6:13; 10:12; 13:4; Yos 24:14; Za 81:13; Mhu 8:12; Isa 3:10Kama mkimcha Bwana na kumtumikia na kumtii nanyi msipoasi dhidi ya amri zake, ninyi pamoja na mfalme anayetawala juu yenu mkimfuata Bwana, Mungu wenu, mambo yatakuwa mema kwenu! 1512:15 Law 26:16; Yos 24:20; Isa 1:20; Yer 4:17; 26:4Lakini kama hamkumtii Bwana, nanyi kama mkiasi dhidi ya amri zake, mkono wake utakuwa dhidi yenu, kama ulivyokuwa dhidi ya baba zenu.
1612:16 Kut 14:13-14“Sasa basi, simameni kimya mkaone jambo hili kubwa ambalo Bwana anakwenda kulifanya mbele ya macho yenu! 1712:17 Mwa 30:14; 7:12; 1Sam 6:13; 2:10; 1Fal 18:42; Yak 5:18; Kut 9:23; 9:18; Ay 37:13; Mit 26:1; 1Sam 8:6-7; 7:9-10Je, sasa si mavuno ya ngano? Nitamwomba Bwana ili alete ngurumo na mvua. Nanyi mtatambua jambo hili lilivyo baya mlilolifanya mbele za macho ya Bwana mlipoomba mfalme.”
1812:18 Za 99:8; Mwa 3:10; Kut 14:31Kisha Samweli akamwomba Bwana, na siku ile ile Bwana akatuma ngurumo na mvua. Hivyo watu wote wakamwogopa sana Bwana na Samweli.
1912:19 Kut 8:8; 1Sam 7:8; Yer 37:3; Yak 5:18; 1Yn 5:16Watu wote wakamwambia Samweli, “Mwombe Bwana Mungu wako kwa ajili ya watumishi wako, ili tusije tukafa, kwa kuwa tumeongeza uovu juu ya dhambi zetu nyingine kwa kuomba mfalme.”
2012:20 Kum 32:30Samweli akajibu, “Msiogope, mmefanya uovu huu wote; hata hivyo msimwache Bwana, bali mtumikieni Bwana kwa moyo wenu wote. 2112:21 Isa 40:20; 41:24-29; 44:9; Yer 2:5, 11; 14:22; 16:19; Yn 2:8; Hab 2:8; Mdo 14:15; Kum 11:16Msigeukie sanamu zisizofaa. Haziwezi kuwatendea jema, wala haziwezi kuwaokoa kwa sababu hazina maana. 2212:22 Za 25:11; 106:8; Isa 48:9-11; Yer 14:7; Dan 9:19; Yos 7:9; 2Sam 7:23; Yn 17:12; Law 26:11; Kum 31:6; 7:7; 1Pet 2:6; 1Fal 6:13Kwa ajili ya jina lake kuu Bwana hatawakataa watu wake, kwa sababu ilimpendeza Bwana kuwafanya kuwa wake mwenyewe. 2312:23 Hes 11:2; 1Sam 1:20; 7:2; Rum 1:10; 1Fal 8:36; Za 25:4; 34:11; 86:11; 94:12; Mit 4:11; Kol 1:9Kwa habari yangu, iwe mbali nami kutenda dhambi dhidi ya Bwana kwa kushindwa kuwaombea. Mimi nitawafundisha njia iliyo njema na ya kunyooka. 2412:24 Kum 6:2; Mhu 12:13; Kum 6:5; Yos 24:14; Ay 34:27; Isa 5:12; 22:11; 26:10; Kum 10:21Lakini hakikisheni mnamcha Bwana na kumtumikia kwa uaminifu kwa moyo wenu wote; tafakarini mambo makubwa aliyoyatenda kwa ajili yenu. 2512:25 1Sam 31:1-5; Kum 28:36; Yos 24:20; 1Fal 14:10Hata hivyo mkiendelea kufanya uovu, ninyi na mfalme wenu mtafutiliwa mbali!”
