Samuel's Farewell Address

12 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed ^(A)your voice in all that you have said to me ^(B)and have made a king over you. ² And now, behold, the king ^(C)walks before you, ^(D)and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. ³ Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before ^(E)his anointed. ^(F)Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me^[a] and I will restore it to you.” ⁴ They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand.” ⁵ And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and ^(G)his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything ^(H)in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

⁶ And Samuel said to the people, ^(I)“The Lord is witness,^[b] who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Now therefore ^(A)stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. ^17 (B)Is it not wheat harvest today? ^(C)I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that ^(D)your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” ¹⁸ So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, ^(E)and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, ^(F)“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” ²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet ^(G)do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ And ^(H)do not turn aside after ^(I)empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. ^22 (J)For the Lord will not forsake his people, ^(K)for his great name's sake, because ^(L)it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. ²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing ^(M)to pray for you, ^(N)and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ^24 (O)Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider ^(P)what great things he has done for you. ²⁵ But if you still do wickedly, ^(Q)you shall be swept away, ^(R)both you and your king.”