1 Samuel 12 Samuel said to all Israel, I have listened to all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.

VIN⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Samuel said to all Israel, I have listened to all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. ² Now, the king is your leader; I am old and grey-headed and my sons are with you, and I have been your leader from my youth to this day. ³ Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Of whose hand have I taken a bribe to make me blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.” ⁴ They said, "You haven't cheated us or oppressed us, and you haven't taken anything from anyone's hand." ⁵ He said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." They said, "He is witness." ⁶ Samuel said to the people, It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers. ⁸ When Jacob had come into Egypt and your fathers cried to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. ⁹ But they forgot the LORD their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the hosts of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. ¹⁰ So they cried out to the LORD and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve you!' ¹¹ Then the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely. ¹² But when you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was coming to fight you, you said to me, 'No, let a king rule over us instead,' even though the LORD your God was your king. ¹³ "Now, here is the king you have chosen, the one whom you asked for. See, the Lord has appointed a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear the LORD, serve him, obey him, and don't rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who rules over you will truly follow the LORD your God. ¹⁵ But if you don't obey the LORD and rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the LORD will turn against you as he did against your ancestors. ¹⁶ "Now then, stand up and see this great thing that the LORD is about to do before your eyes. ¹⁷ Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD to send thunder and rain, and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the eyes of the LORD, in asking for a king. ¹⁸ Samuel called upon the LORD that same day, and the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. ¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, and not we will die, for we have added this evil to all our sins to ask a king for ourselves. ²⁰ "Do not be afraid!" Samuel answered. "Even though you have done such an evil thing, do not turn away from the LORD. Serve him with all your heart. ²¹ Don't turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or deliver because they're useless. ²² For the LORD will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name, because the LORD has decided to make you his own people. ²³ Now as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. I'll also instruct you in the way that is good and right. ²⁴ Only, fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Indeed, consider what great things he has done for you. ²⁵ But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."