1 Samuel 12

And Samuel said to all of Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice according to all of what you said to me, and I have made a king reign over you.

And now, behold, the king is walking to your faces. Now I myself have aged and have become gray-headed and my sons, behold them with you. Now I myself have walked to your faces from my youth to this day. \*

Behold me! Testify against me before God and before his anointed. The ox of whom have I taken, or the donkey of whom have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from the hand of whom have I taken a bribe and I veiled my eyes with it? And I will restore {it} to you.”

And they said, “You have not defrauded us, and you have not oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of a man.”

And he said to them, “God {is} a witness against you, and his anointed {is} a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And he said, “Witness.” \*

And Samuel said to the people, “{It was} God who made Moses and Aaron and who brought up your fathers from the land of Egypt.

And now, station yourselves and let me be judged with you to the face of God with all of the righteousness of God that he has done with you and with your fathers. \*

When Jacob had entered Egypt and your fathers cried out to God, then God sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought out your fathers from Egypt and they made them dwell in this place.

But they forgot God their God. So he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought with them. \*

Then they cried out to God and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken God and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. And now, deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’

So God sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel. And he delivered you from the hand of your enemies from all around, and you dwelled in security. \*

But you saw that Nahash, the king of the sons of Ammon, was coming against you, and you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ though God your God {was} your king.

But now, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have requested. And behold, God has given a king over you. \*

If you fear God and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against the mouth of God, then you will be, both you and the king who reigns over you, after God your God.

But if you do not listen to the voice of God and you rebel against the mouth of God, then the hand of God will be against you and against your fathers. \*

Even now station yourselves and see this great thing that God is doing before your eyes.

{Is it} not the harvest of wheat today? I will call to God, and he will give thunder and rain. And know and see that your evil that you have done is great in the eyes of God, to request a king for yourselves.” \*

Then Samuel called upon God, and God gave thunder and rain on that day. And all of the people greatly feared God and Samuel.

And all of the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to God your God, that we may not die. For we have added evil onto all of our sins by the requesting of a king for ourselves.” \*

And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You, you have done all of this evil, but do not turn aside from after God, but serve God with all of your heart.

And do not turn aside, for after the nothingness that does not profit and does not deliver, for they {are} nothingness. \*

For God will not forsake his people, because of his great name. For God was pleased to make you into a people for himself.

Also, {for} me, profane to me from sinning against God by ceasing to pray for you! And I will instruct you in the good and straight way. \*

But fear God and serve him in faithfulness with all of your heart. For see what he has made great with you!

But if doing wickedly, you do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.” \*