Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation
1 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have heededyour voice in all that you said to me, andhave made a king over you.
2 And now here is the king,walking before you;and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sonsarewith you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.
3 Here I am. Witness against me before theLordand beforeHis anointed:Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I receivedanybribe with which toblind my eyes? I will restoreitto you.”
4 And they said,“You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 Then he said to them, “TheLordiswitness against you, and His anointediswitness this day,that you have not found anythingin my hand.”
And they answered, “Heiswitness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people,“ItistheLordwho raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore, stand still, that I mayreason with you before theLordconcerning all therighteous acts of theLordwhich He did to you and your fathers:
8 When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fatherscried out to theLord, then theLordsent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.
9 And when theyforgot theLordtheir God, He sold them into the hand ofSisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of thePhilistines, and into the hand of the king ofMoab; and they fought against them.
10 Then they cried out to theLord, and said,‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken theLordand served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’
11 And theLordsent Jerubbaal, Bedan,Jephthah, andSamuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.
12 And when you saw thatNahash king of the Ammonites came against you,you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ whentheLordyour Godwasyour king.
13 “Now therefore,here is the kingwhom you have chosenandwhom you have desired. And take note,theLordhas set a king over you.
14 If youfear theLordand serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of theLord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following theLordyour God.
15 However, if you donot obey the voice of theLord, butrebel against the commandment of theLord, then the hand of theLordwill be against you, asitwasagainst your fathers.
16 “Now therefore,stand and see this great thing which theLordwill do before your eyes:
17 Istoday not thewheat harvest?I will call to theLord, and He will send thunder andrain, that you may perceive and see thatyour wickednessisgreat, which you have done in the sight of theLord, in asking a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called to theLord, and theLordsent thunder and rain that day; andall the people greatly feared theLordand Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel,“Pray for your servants to theLordyour God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”
20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness;yet do not turn aside from following theLord, but serve theLordwith all your heart.
21 Anddo not turn aside;forthenyouwouldgoafter empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for theyarenothing.
22 FortheLordwill not forsakeHis people,for His great name’s sake, becauseit has pleased theLordto make you His people.
23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against theLordin ceasing to pray for you; butI will teach you thegood and the right way.
24 Only fear theLord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; forconsider whatgreat things He has done for you.
25 But if you still do wickedly,you shall be swept away,both you and your king.”