1 Samuel 12:6-25

6Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who 12appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7So now, take your stand, 3that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did for you and your fathers. 84When Jacob went into Egypt and 5your fathers cried out to the Lord, then 6the Lord sent Moses and Aaron 78who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9But 9they forgot the Lord their God, so 10He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and 11into the hand of the Philistines and 12into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 1013They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served 14the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but 15now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11Then the Lord sent 16Jerubbaal and 1718Bedan and 19Jephthah and 20Samuel, and delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security. 12When you saw 21that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘22No, but a king shall reign over us,’ 23although the Lord your God was your king. 13Now therefore, 24here is the king whom you have chosen, 25whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 1426If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the 27command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 1528If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the 29command of the Lord, then 30the hand of the Lord will be against you, 31as it was against your fathers. 16Even now, 32take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes. 1733Is it not the wheat harvest today? 34I will call to the Lord, that He may send 35thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that 36your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king.” 18So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent 37thunder and rain that day; and 38all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19Then all the people said to Samuel, “39Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins 40this evil by asking for ourselves a king.” 20Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet 41do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21You must not turn aside, for then you would go after 42futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile. 22For 43the Lord will not abandon His people 44on account of His great name, because the Lord 45has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23Moreover, as for me, 46far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but 47I will instruct you in the good and right way. 2448Only 49fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider 50what great things He has done for you. 2551But if you still do wickedly, 52both you and your king 53will be swept away.”