1 Samuel 12:1-25 - Samuel's Charge To Israel
1 And Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all that ye said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king walks before you. And I am old and gray headed, and, behold, my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my youth to this day. 3 Here I am. Witness against me before LORD, and before his anointed: Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with i
4 And they said, Thou have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have thou taken anything of any man's hand.
5 And he said to them, LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found anything in my hand. And they said, He is witness.
6 And Samuel said to the people, It is LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before LORD concerning all the righteous acts of LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
8 When Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to LORD, then LORD sent Moses and Aaron who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place. 9 But they forgot LORD their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 And they cried to LORD, and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken LORD, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. 11 And LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt in safety. 12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, ye said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us, when LORD your God was your king.
13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have asked for. And, behold, LORD has set a king over you. 14 If ye will fear LORD, and serve him, and hearken to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of LORD, then both ye and also the king who reigns over you shall be followers of LORD your God. 15 But if ye will not hearken to the voice of LORD, but rebel against the commandment of LORD, then the hand of LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.
16 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which LORD will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to LORD that he may send thunder and rain, and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of LORD in asking a king for you. 18 So Samuel called to LORD, and LORD sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people greatly feared LORD and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to LORD thy God that we not die, for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask a king for us.
20 And Samuel said to the people, Fear not. Ye have indeed done all this evil, yet turn not aside from following LORD, but serve LORD with all your heart. 21 And turn ye not aside after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. 22 For LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased LORD to make you a people to himself.
23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against LORD in ceasing to pray for you. But I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 Only fear LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.