1 Samuel 12:2

¹ And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.

And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

³ Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox 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 bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will 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.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
KJV: And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
WEB: Now, behold, the king walks before you. I am old and gray-headed. Behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth to this day.
ASV: And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day.
DARBY: And now behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and grey-headed; and behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth up to this day.
BLB: And here is the king, walking before you⁺, and I am old and have become gray. And my sons, behold, [are] with you⁺, and I have walked before you⁺ from my childhood to this day.

ÅB: Sa har dere nå kongen til fører for dere; men jeg er gammel og grå, så dere nå har mine sønner iblant dere. Jeg har vært fører for dere fra min ungdom like til denne dag.
OTB: Nå er her kongen som går foran dere, og jeg er gammel og gråhåret; og se, mine sønner er hos dere. Jeg har vandret foran dere fra min ungdom til denne dag.
B1930: Sa har I nu kongen til fører for eder; men jeg er gammel og grå, så I nu har mine sønner iblandt eder. Jeg har vært fører for eder fra min ungdom like til denne dag.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

1 Samuel 8:5
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
Read in context
1 Samuel 8:20
That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Read in context
1 Samuel 8:1
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Read in context
Numbers 27:17
Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
Read in context
1 Samuel 8:3
And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Read in context
1 Samuel 3:19–20
And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
Read in context
1 Samuel 2:22
Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Read in context
Isaiah 46:3–4
Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
Read in context