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¹ AND Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.² And now, behold, the king is before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and, behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.³ Behold, I am standing before you; testify 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? Or whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I taken a bribe to look upon him with favor? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.⁴ And they said to him, You have not defrauded us nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from any one of us.⁵ And he said to them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything wrong with me. And they said, He is witness.

⁶ And Samuel said to the people, The LORD is the only God, who advanced Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.⁷ Now therefore stand still that I may judge you before the LORD in all his righteous acts which he did to you and to your fathers.⁸ When Jacob went into Egypt and your fathers prayed before the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.⁹ And when they forgot the LORD their God, he delivered them into the hand of Sisera, general of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.¹⁰ And they prayed before the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD our God and have served Baal and Ashtaroth; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies and we will serve thee.¹¹ And the LORD sent Deborah and Barak and Gideon and Jephthah and Samson, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies round about you, and you dwelt in safety.¹² And when you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No; but a king shall reign over us; yet the LORD your God was your king.¹³ Now therefore behold the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have requested! And, behold, the LORD has given you a king.¹⁴ If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not provoke him, then shall both you and also the king who reigns over you continue following the LORD your God.¹⁵ But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God, but provoke him, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶ Now therefore be ready, and see this great thing which the LORD will do for you.¹⁷ Behold, it is wheat harvest today; I will call to the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, in that you have asked for yourselves a king.¹⁸ Then Samuel called to the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain on that place; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel. Pray for your servants before the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins a great evil, in that we have asked for ourselves a king.²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, Fear not; you have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve him with all your heart;²¹ And do not turn aside after vain things which cannot deliver you; that you may not die, for they are vain things.²² For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great names sake; because he is pleased to make you his people.²³ Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way;²⁴ Only revere the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart and with all your soul; for consider what great things he has done for you.²⁵ But if you shall continue to do wickedly, you shall die, both you and your king.