1 Samuel 12:6-25

New International Version

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought^(A) your ancestors up out of Egypt. ⁷ Now then, stand^(B) here, because I am going to confront^(C) you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts^(D) performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

⁸ “After Jacob^(E) entered Egypt, they cried^(F) to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent^(G) Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

⁹ “But they forgot^(H) the Lord their God; so he sold them^(I) into the hand of Sisera,^(J) the commander of the army of Hazor,^(K) and into the hands of the Philistines^(L) and the king of Moab,^(M) who fought against them. ¹⁰ They cried^(N) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken^(O) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.^(P) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ ¹¹ Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,^[a](Q) Barak,^[b](R) Jephthah^(S) and Samuel,^[c](T) and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

¹² “But when you saw that Nahash^(U) king^(V) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule^(W) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king^(X) you have chosen, the one you asked^(Y) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear^(Z) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel^(AA) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! ¹⁵ But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against^(AB) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

¹⁶ “Now then, stand still^(AC) and see^(AD) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! ¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest^(AE) now? I will call^(AF) on the Lord to send thunder^(AG) and rain.^(AH) And you will realize what an evil^(AI) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

¹⁸ Then Samuel called on the Lord,^(AJ) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe^(AK) of the Lord and of Samuel.

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray^(AL) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,^(AM) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil;^(AN) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless^(AO) idols.^(AP) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake^(AQ) of his great name^(AR) the Lord will not reject^(AS) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make^(AT) you his own. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray^(AU) for you. And I will teach^(AV) you the way that is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear^(AW) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;^(AX) consider^(AY) what great^(AZ) things he has done for you. ²⁵ Yet if you persist^(BA) in doing evil, both you and your king^(BB) will perish.”^(BC)