1Samuel:12

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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 I have set a king over you . * And now , behold , the king is walking before you ; and I am old and gray –headed ; and my sons , behold , they are with you ; and I have walked before you from my youth even until this day . * Behold , here am I ; testify against me in the presence of the Lord , and in the presence of his anointed : Whose ox have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I defrauded ? whom have I oppressed ? or from whose hand have I received any ransom so that I withdrew my eyes from him ? and I will restore it you . * And they said , Thou hast not defrauded us , nor hast thou oppressed us , and thou hast not taken from any man ’s hand the least . * And he said unto them , The Lord is witness against you , and his anointed is witness this day , that ye have not found in my hand the least : and they answered , He is witness . * And Samuel said unto the people , It is the Lord who did Moses and Aaron , and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt . * And now stand up , that I may hold judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the benefits of the Lord , which he hath done to you and to your fathers . * When Jacob was come into Egypt , then did your fathers cry unto the Lord , and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron , and they brought forth your fathers out of Egypt , and caused them to dwell in this place . * And when they forgot the Lord their God , he sold them into the hand of Sissera , the chief of the host of Chazor , and into the hand of the Philistines , and into the hand of the king of Moab , and they made war against them . * And they cried unto the Lord , and said , We have sinned , because we have forsaken the Lord , and have served the Be ’alim and the ‘Ashtaroth ; and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies , and we will serve thee . * And the Lord sent Yerubba ’al , and Bedan , and Yiphthach , and Samuel , and he delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side , so that ye dwelt safely . * But when ye saw that Nachash the king of the children of ‘Ammon came against you , ye said unto me , No ; but a king shall reign over us : when the Lord your God is your king . * And now here is the king whom ye have chosen , whom ye have asked for ! and , behold , the Lord hath set over you a king . * If ye will fear the Lord , and serve him , and obey his voice , and will not rebel against the will of the Lord : then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God . * But if ye will not hearken to the voice of the Lord , and rebel against the will of the Lord : then will the hand of the Lord be against you , as it was against your fathers . * And now stand up and see this great thing , which the Lord is about doing before your eyes . * Is there not wheat –harvest today ? I will call unto the Lord , and he will send thunders and rain ; and ye will perceive and see that your wickedness is great , which ye have done , in the eyes of the Lord , to ask for yourselves a king . * And Samuel called unto the Lord ; and the Lord sent thunders and rain on that day : and all the people feared greatly the Lord and Samuel . * And all the people said unto Samuel , Pray in behalf of thy servants unto the Lord thy God , that we may not die ; for we have added unto all our sins yet this evil , to ask for ourselves a king . * And Samuel said unto the people , Fear not ; ye have indeed done all this evil : yet turn not aside from following the Lord , and serve ye the Lord with all your heart ; * And turn ye not aside ; for then would ye go after vain things , which cannot profit nor deliver ; because they are vain . * For the Lord will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name ; because it hath pleased the Lord to make you a people unto himself . * Moreover as for me , far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray in behalf of you ; but I will teach you the good and the right way : * Only fear the Lord , and serve him in truth with all your heart ; for see what great things he hath done with you . * But if ye will in any wise do wickedly , both ye yourselves as also your king shall perish .

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