The Lord Will Not Relent

15 Then the Lord said to me, ^(A)“Though ^(B)Moses ^(C)and Samuel ^(D)stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!

⁶ And ^(A)Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, ^(B)“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” ^8 (C)And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And ^(A)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. ^(B)But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel ^(C)took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[a] and called its name Ebenezer;^[b] for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”

²⁵ And he ^(A)cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log,^[a] and he ^(B)threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord^[b] made for them a statute and a rule, and there he ^(C)tested them,

¹⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

¹⁸ So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, ^(A)and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, ^(B)“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 ^(C)do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ And ^(D)do not turn aside after ^(E)empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. ^22 (F)For the Lord will not forsake his people, ^(G)for his great name's sake, because ^(H)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 ^(I)to pray for you, ^(J)and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ^24 (K)Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider ^(L)what great things he has done for you.

⁴⁷ So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸ And he stood between the dead and the living, and ^(A)the plague was stopped.

^21 (A)“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them ^(B)in a moment.” ²² And they ^(C)fell on their faces and said, “O God, ^(D)the God of the spirits of all flesh, ^(E)shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”