And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto ayour voice in all that ye said unto me, and bhave made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king cwalketh before you: dand 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: ewitness against me before the Lord, and before fhis anointed: gwhose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I hdefrauded? whom have I hoppressed? or of whose hand have I received any †bribe ||to iblind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. 4 And they said, Thou hast not hdefrauded us, nor hoppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand. 5 And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and fhis anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought jin my hand. And they answered, He is witness. 6 And Samuel said unto the people, kIt is the Lord that ||advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore stand still, that I may lreason with you before the Lord of all the †righteous acts of the Lord, which he did †to you and †to your fathers. 8 mWhen Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers ncried unto the Lord, then the Lord osent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. 9 And when they pforgat the Lord their God, qhe sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of rthe Philistines, and into the hand of the king sof Moab, and they fought against them. 10 And they tcried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, uand have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now wdeliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. 11 And the Lord sent xJerubbaal, and yBedan, and zJephthah, and aSamuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. 12 And when ye saw that bNahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, cye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when dthe Lord your God was your king. 13 Now therefore ebehold the fking whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, gthe Lord hath set a king over you. 14 If ye will hfear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the †commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you †continue following the Lord your God: 15 But if ye will inot obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall jthe hand of the Lord be against you, kas it was against your fathers. 16 Now therefore lstand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not mwheat harvest to day? nI will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that oyour wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.

18 So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and pall the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the people said unto Samuel, qPray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; 21 And rturn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot sprofit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22 For tthe Lord will not forsake his people for uhis great name’s sake: because xit hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. 23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord †in ceasing yto pray for you: but zI will teach you the agood and the right way: 24 bOnly fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for cconsider ||how dgreat things he hath done for you. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, dye shall be consumed, eboth ye and your king.