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And Samuel
said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened
unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and
have made a king over you.
02 And now, behold, the king walketh before you:
and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons
are with you: and I have walked before you from
my childhood unto this day.
03 Behold, here I am: witness against me before
the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have
I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have
I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose
hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes
therewith? and I will restore it you.
04 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor
oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of
any man's hand.
05 And he said unto them, The Lord is witness
against you, and his anointed is witness this
day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And
they answered, He is witness.
06 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the
Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that
brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
07 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.
08 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your
fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent
Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers
out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
09 And when they forgat the Lord their God, he
sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the
host 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 unto the Lord, and said, We
have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord,
and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now
deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we
will serve thee.
11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and
Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of
the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye
dwelled safe.
12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the
children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto
me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the
Lord your God was your king.
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13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have
chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold,
the Lord hath set a king over you.
14 If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and
obey his voice, and not rebel against the
commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and
also the king that reigneth over you continue
following the Lord your God:
15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord,
but rebel against the commandment of the Lord,
then shall the hand of the Lord be against you,
as it was against your fathers.
16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing,
which the Lord will do before your eyes.
17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call
unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and
rain; that ye may perceive and see that your
wickedness is great, which ye have done in the
sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.
18 So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord
sent thunder and rain that day: and all the
people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for
thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die
not: for we have added unto all our sins this
evil, to ask us a king.
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye
have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside
from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with
all your heart;
21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go
after vain things, which cannot profit nor
deliver; for they are vain.
22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for
his great name's sake: because it hath pleased
the Lord to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should
sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you:
but I will teach you the good and the right way:
24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth
with all your heart: for consider how great
things he hath done for you.
25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be
consumed, both ye and your king.
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