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. 7Now then, take your stand, 3so 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. 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, commander 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 abandoned the Lord and have served 14the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but 15now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11Then the Lord sent 16Jerubbaal, 1718Bedan, 19Jephthah, and 20Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security. 12But when you saw 21that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, ‘22No, but a king shall reign over us!’ 23Yet the Lord your God was your king. 13And now, 24behold, the king whom you have chosen, 25whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has 26put a king over you. 1427If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the 28command of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15But 29if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the 30command of the Lord, then 31the hand of the Lord will be against you, 32even as it was against your fathers. 16Even now, 33take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord is going to do before your eyes. 1734Is it not the wheat harvest today? 35I will call to the Lord, that He will send 36thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that 37your 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 38thunder and rain that day; and 39all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19Then all the people said to Samuel, “40Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins 41this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.” 20Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet 42do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after 43useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless. 22For 44the Lord will not abandon His people 45on account of His great name, because the Lord 46has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23Furthermore, as for me, 47far be it from me that I would sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but 48I will instruct you in the good and right way. 2449Only 50fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider 51what great things He has done for you. 2552But if you still do evil, 53both you and your king 54will be swept away.”