Samuel’s Farewell Address

1And Samuel sayd vnto al Israel: Beholde, I haue hearkened vnto your voyce in all that ye sayde vnto me, and haue made a king ouer you. 2Nowe therfore, your king walketh before you: and I am olde and graye headed, and behold my sonnes are with you, & I haue walked before you from my childehod vnto this day. 3Beholde here I am, beare recorde of me before the Lorde & before his annoynted: Whose oxe haue I taken? or whose asse haue I taken? whom haue I done wrong to? Whom haue I hurt? Or of whose hande haue I receaued any bribe, to blind myne eyes therwith? and I will restore it you. 4They sayde: Thou hast done vs no wrong, nor hurt vs, neither hast thou taken ought of any mans hande. 5He sayd vnto them againe: The Lord is witnesse against you, and his annoynted is witnesse this day, that ye haue found naught in my handes. And they aunswered: He is witnesse.

6And Samuel sayd vnto the people: It is the Lorde that made Moyses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers out of the lande of Egypt. 7Nowe therfore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lorde, according to all the righteousnesses of the Lorde, whiche he shewed both you and your fathers. 8After yt Iacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cryed vnto the Lord, the Lord sent Moyses & Aaron, which brought your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwel in this place. 9And whe they forgat the Lord their God, he solde the into ye hand of Sisara captayne of the hoast of Hazor, & into the hande of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10And they cryed vnto the Lord, & sayd: We haue sinned, because we haue forsaken the Lord, and haue serued Baalim and Astharoth: Nowe therfore deliuer vs out of the handes of our enemies, and we will serue thee. 11And ye Lord sent Ierobaal, Bedan, Iephthah, and Samuel, and deliuered you out of the handes of your enemies on euerie side, and ye dwelled safe.

12And for all that, when you sawe that Nahas the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye sayd vnto me: Not so, but a king shall raigne ouer vs: when yet the Lord your God was your king. 13Nowe therfore behold the king whom ye haue chosen, and whom ye haue desired: lo, ye Lorde hath set a king ouer you. 14If ye will feare the Lorde and serue him, and heare his voyce, & not disobey the worde of the Lorde, both ye and the king that raigneth ouer you, shall folowe the Lord your God. 15If ye will not hearken vnto the voyce of the Lorde, but disobey the Lordes mouth, then shall the hand of the Lord be vpon you, and on your fathers. 16Now also stand, & see this great thing whiche the Lorde will do before your eyes. 17Is it not nowe wheate hearuest? I will call vnto the Lorde, & he shal sende thunder & rayne, that ye may perceaue and see howe that your wickednes is great which ye haue done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a king. 18And so Samuel called vnto the Lord, and the Lorde sent thunder and rayne the same day: And all the people feared the Lord and Samuel exceedingly.

19And al the people sayd vnto Samuel: Pray for thy seruauntes vnto the Lord thy God, that we dye not: for we haue sinned in asking vs a king, besyde all our other sinnes. 20And Samuel sayde vnto the people, feare not (Ye haue in deede done al this wickednesse, yet depart not from folowing of the Lorde, but serue the Lorde with all your heartes: 21Neither turne ye away, for then ye go after vayne thinges, which are not able to profite you, nor deliuer you, for they are but vanitie.) 22For the Lorde will not forsake his people, because of his great names sake: because it hath pleased the Lorde to make you his people. 23Moreouer, God forbid that I shoulde sinne against the Lord, and ceasse praying for you: but I will shewe you the good and right way. 24Therfore feare you the Lorde, & serue him in the trueth, and with all your heartes: & consider howe great thinges he hath done for you. 25But and yf ye do wickedly, then shall ye perishe, both ye and your king.