Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened^(A) to everything you said to me and have set a king^(B) over you.

²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(A) There is no one like^(B) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(C) the king!”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal^(A) and there renew the kingship.^(B)” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal^(C) and made Saul king^(D) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

10 Then Samuel took a flask^(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed^(B) you ruler over his inheritance?^[a](C)

¹⁹ But the people refused^(A) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want^(B) a king^(C) over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations,^(D) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated^(E) it before the Lord. ²² The Lord answered, “Listen^(F) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

⁵ They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king^(A) to lead^[a](B) us, such as all the other nations^(C) have.”

⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king^(D) to lead us,” this displeased^(E) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen^(F) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,^(G) but they have rejected me as their king.^{(H) 8} As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking^(I) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.