1 Samuel 12

12 ¹Samuel talk give all Israel say, “I don hear una voice for everytin wey una tell me, and I don make king rule una. ²Now di king dey waka before una. I don old, my hair don white; my sons dey with una. I don waka before una from wen I be small pikin reach today. ³See me here—make una talk against me before our Papa and di one wey e anoint. Na who cow I take? Na who donkey I take? Na who I cheat? Na who I oppress? Na who bribe I collect make I close my eye? Tell me, and I go pay una back.”

⁴Dem talk say, “You no cheat us, you no oppress us, and you no collect anytin from anybody hand.”

⁵E talk give dem say, “Our Papa na witness against una, and di one wey e anoint na witness today, say una no find anytin for my hand.” Dem talk say, “E na witness.”

⁶Den Samuel tell di people say, “Na our Papa put Moses and Aaron for work and bring una grandpapa dem comot from Egypt. ⁷Now stand, make I fit talk my case against una before our Papa—all di correct-and-holy tin wey e don do for una and una grandpapa dem.”

⁸Wen Jacob enter Egypt, una grandpapa dem cry to our Papa, wey send Moses and Aaron, wey bring dem comot from Egypt and settle dem for here. ⁹But dem forget our Papa, so e hand dem give Sisera, di army commander of Hazor, give di Philistines, and give di king of Moab, wey fight dem.

¹⁰Dem cry to our Papa say: “We don sin; we don abandon our Papa and serve di Baals and Ashtaroth. Now rescue us from di hand of our enemy dem, and we go serve you.” ¹¹So our Papa send Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, rescue una from di hand of una enemy dem wey surround una, so una fit live for peace. ^a a v11 Jerubbaal na anoda name for Gideon, di judge wey pull down im papa altar wey e build for Baal.

¹²Wen una see Nahash di king of Ammon dey come against una, una tell me say, “No, king must rule us”—even though our Papa na una king. ¹³Now see di king wey una choose and ask for. Look, our Papa don put king rule una. ¹⁴If una fear our Papa, serve am and obey am, and no rebel against im command, and both una and una king follow our Papa, everytin go dey alright. ¹⁵But if una disobey our Papa and rebel against im command, di hand of our Papa go against una, just like e do una grandpapa dem.

¹⁶Now stand still and see dis big tin wey our Papa dey about to do before una eye. ¹⁷No be wheat harvest time be dis today? I go call our Papa—e go send thunder and rain, so una go sabi how big di evil wey una do wey una ask king for unaself, for di eye of our Papa. ^b b v17 Rain no dey fall at all during wheat harvest for early summer, so di thunderstorm wey come sharp-sharp na clear sign from our Papa.

¹⁸Samuel call out to our Papa; dat day e send thunder and rain, and all di people fear our Papa and Samuel well-well.

¹⁹All di people talk give Samuel say, “Pray to your Papa for your servants, so we no go die: we don add evil on top all our sin wey we ask for king.”

²⁰Samuel tell di people say, “No dey fear. Una don do all dis evil—but still no turn comot from following our Papa; serve am with all una heart. ²¹No turn go meet empty idol dem—wey no fit help, wey no fit rescue, because dem be just empty tin. ²²Because our Papa no go abandon im people, because of im great name. E choose to make una im own people. ²³As for me, I no fit ever sin against our Papa by stop to pray for una; I go teach una di good and correct way. ²⁴Just fear our Papa, serve am faithfully with all una heart, and tink well about di great tin wey e don do for una. ²⁵But if una continue to dey do evil, both una and una king go carry go.”