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Samuel Addresses Israel

¹ Then Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, ^(C1)I have listened to your voice in everything that you have said to me and ^(C2)have appointed a king over you.² "And now, here is ^(C1)the king walking before you. As for me, ^(C2)I am old and gray, and here are ^(C3)my sons with you. ^(C4)I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.³ "Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and Saul ^(C1)His anointed if I have done someone wrong. ^(C2)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed or ^(C3)from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes to the truth? Tell me and I will restore it to you."⁴ They said, "You have not exploited us or oppressed us or taken anything at all from a man's hand."⁵ Samuel said to them, "The LORD is a witness against you, and Saul His anointed is a witness this day that ^(C1)you have not found anything ^(C2)in my hand." And they answered, "He is a witness."

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who ^(C1)appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers (ancestors) up from the land of Egypt.⁷ "Now then, take your stand, so ^(C1)that I may plead and contend with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did for you and for your fathers.⁸ "^(C1)When Jacob and his sons had come into Egypt and later when the Egyptians oppressed them and ^(C2)your ^(F1)fathers cried out to the LORD, then ^(C3)the LORD sent Moses and Aaron ^(C4)who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.⁹ "But when ^(C1)they forgot the LORD their God, ^(C2)He sold them into the hand of ^(F1)Sisera, commander of Hazor's army, and ^(C3)into the hand of the Philistines and ^(C4)of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.¹⁰ "^(C1)They cried out to the LORD, saying, 'We have sinned because we have abandoned (rejected) the Lord and have served ^(C2)the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but ^(C3)now rescue us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.'¹¹ "Then the LORD sent ^(C1)Jerubbaal (Gideon) and ^(F1)(C2)Bedan and ^(C3)Jephthah and ^(C4)Samuel, and He rescued you from the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in security.

The King Confirmed

¹⁹ Then all the people said to Samuel, "^(C1)Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, ^(F1)so that we will not die, for we have added to all our sins this ^(C2)evil—to ask for a king for ourselves."²⁰ Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil; yet ^(C1)do not turn away from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.²¹ "You must not turn away, for then you would go after ^(C1)futile things which cannot profit or rescue, because they are futile.²² "^(C1)The LORD will not abandon His people ^(C2)for His great name's sake, because ^(C3)the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.²³ "Moreover, as for me, ^(C1)far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but ^(C2)I will instruct you in the good and right way.²⁴ "^(C1)Only fear the LORD with awe and profound reverence and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for consider ^(C2)what great things He has done for you.²⁵ "^(C1)But if you still do evil, ^(C2)both you and your king ^(C3)will be swept away to destruction."