⁹ Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know^(A) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

³ Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.^(A) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey^(B) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe^(C) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done^(D) any of these things, I will make it right.”^(E)

⁴ “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

⁵ Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness^(F) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything^(G) in my hand.^(H)”

“He is witness,” they said.

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

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

⁹ “But they forgot^(P) the Lord their God; so he sold them^(Q) into the hand of Sisera,^(R) the commander of the army of Hazor,^(S) and into the hands of the Philistines^(T) and the king of Moab,^(U) who fought against them. ¹⁰ They cried^(V) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken^(W) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.^(X) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ ¹¹ Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,^[a](Y) Barak,^[b](Z) Jephthah^(AA) and Samuel,^[c](AB) 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^(AC) king^(AD) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule^(AE) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king^(AF) you have chosen, the one you asked^(AG) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear^(AH) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel^(AI) 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^(AJ) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

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

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

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray^(AT) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,^(AU) 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;^(AV) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless^(AW) idols.^(AX) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake^(AY) of his great name^(AZ) the Lord will not reject^(BA) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make^(BB) you his own. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray^(BC) for you. And I will teach^(BD) you the way that is good and right.

³³ But Samuel said,

And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.