1 Samuel 12

¹ 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. ² 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. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. 5 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. ⁶ 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. 7 Now therfor youre kyng is redi, whom ye han chose and axid; lo! the Lord yaf to you a kyng. 8 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. ⁹ 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. 10 But also now stonde ye, and se this gret thing which the Lord schal make in youre siyt. 11 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. 12 And Samuel criede to the Lord, and the Lord yaf voices and reynes in that dai. 13 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. 14 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; 15 and nyle ye bowe aftir veyn thingis, that schulen not profite to you, nether schulen delyuere you; for tho ben veyn thingis. 16 And the Lord schal not forsake his puple for his grete name; for the Lord swoor to make you a puple to hym silf. 17 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. 18 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; 19 that if ye contynuen in malice, bothe ye and youre kyng schulen perische to gidere. 21 Saul was a child of o yeer whanne he bigan to regne; forsothe he regnede on Israel twei yeer. 22 And Saul chees to hym thre thousynde of Israel, and twei thousynde weren with Saul in Machynas, in the hil of Bethel; forsothe a thousynde weren with Jonathas in Gabaath of Beniamyn; sotheli he sente ayen the tother puple ech man in to hise tabernaclis. ²³ And Jonathas smoot the stacioun of Filisteis, that was in Gabaa. And whanne Filisteis hadden herd this, Saul sownede with a clarioun in al the lond, and seide, Ebreys here. ²⁴ And al Israel herde siche a fame, Saul smoot the stacioun of Filisteis; and Israel reiside hym silf ayens Filisteis; therfor the puple criede after Saul in Galgala. ²⁵ And Filisteis weren gaderid to fiyte ayens Israel; of Filisteis weren thretti thousynde of charis, and sixe thousynde of knyytis, and the tother comyn puple, as grauel which is ful myche in the brynke of the see; and thei stieden, and settiden tentis in Machynas, at the eest of Bethauen.