¹⁴ If you fear^(A) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel^(B) 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^(C) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

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

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

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray^(M) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,^(N) 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;^(O) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless^(P) idols.^(Q) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake^(R) of his great name^(S) the Lord will not reject^(T) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make^(U) you his own. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray^(V) for you. And I will teach^(W) you the way that is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear^(X) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;^(Y) consider^(Z) what great^(AA) things he has done for you. ²⁵ Yet if you persist^(AB) in doing evil, both you and your king^(AC) will perish.”^(AD)

² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,^(A) to Christ, so that I might present you^(B) as a pure virgin to him. ³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,^(C) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,^(D) or if you receive a different spirit^(E) from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel^(F) from the one you accepted, you put up with it^(G) easily enough.

⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”^[a](H)

¹³ For such people are false apostles,^(A) deceitful^(B) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.^{(C) 14} And no wonder, for Satan^(D) himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.^(E)