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Samuel Addresses Israel

¹ Then Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, ^(C1)I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I ^(C2)have appointed a king over you.² "Now, ^(C1)here is the king walking before you, but as for me, ^(C2)I am old and gray, and ^(C3)my sons are here with you. And ^(C4)I have walked before you since my youth to this day.³ "Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and ^(C1)His anointed. ^(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 close my eyes with it? I will return it to you."⁴ And they said, "You have not exploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from anyone's hand."⁵ So he said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that ^(C1)you have found nothing ^(C2)in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who ^(F1)(C1)appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.⁷ "Now then, take your stand, ^(C1)so that I may enter into judgment with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD that He did for you and your fathers.⁸ "^(C1)When Jacob went into Egypt and ^(C2)your fathers cried out to the LORD, then ^(C3)the LORD sent Moses and Aaron ^(F1)(C4)who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.⁹ "But ^(C1)they forgot the LORD their God, so ^(C2)He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and ^(C3)into the hand of the Philistines, and ^(C4)into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.¹⁰ "^(C1)They cried out to the LORD and said, 'We have sinned, because we have abandoned the LORD and have served ^(C2)the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but ^(C3)now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.'¹¹ "Then the LORD sent ^(C1)Jerubbaal, ^(F1)(C2)Bedan, ^(C3)Jephthah, and ^(C4)Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that 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, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins ^(C2)this evil, by asking for ourselves a king."²⁰ Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet ^(C1)do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.²¹ "Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after ^(C1)useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless.²² "For ^(C1)the LORD will not abandon His people ^(C2)on account of His great name, because the LORD ^(C3)has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.²³ "Furthermore, as for me, ^(C1)far be it from me that I would 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 ^(F1)fear the LORD and serve Him in truth 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."