1And Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to all that you said to me, and have set a king over you. 2And now that king walks before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and my sons are here with you; and I have walked before you from my childhood until this day. 3Here I stand before you; testify against me before the LORD, and before His anointed. Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I accepted any bribe to blind my eyes? Name it; and I will restore it to you.” 4And they said, “You have neither defrauded nor oppressed us, nor have you taken anything out of any man's hand.” 5And Samuel said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they answered, “He is witness.”

6And Samuel also said to the people, “It is the LORD Who appointed Moses and Aaron, and Who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7Now, stand here, while I remind you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which He did for you and your ancestors: 8When Jacob had entered Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt, and caused them to dwell in this place. 9But they forgot the LORD their God, and He turned them over to the control of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10And they cried unto the LORD, and said, ‘We have sinned by forsaking the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth; but now rescue us from our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11And the LORD sent Jerubbaal (Gideon), Bedan, Jephthah, and me, Samuel, and rescued you from your enemies on every side, and you dwelled safely. 12And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, came against you, you said to me, ‘No; we want a king to reign over us’, when, in truth, the LORD your God was your king. 13Now, therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen, and you have desired! The LORD has set a king over you. 14If you will fear (revere and honor) the LORD, and serve Him, and obey His voice, and not rebel against the commandments of the LORD, then shall both you, and also the king who reigns over you, continue following the LORD your God: 15But if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against His commandments, then the hand of the LORD shall be against you, as it was against your fathers. 16Now, therefore, stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes! 17Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call unto the LORD, and He shall send thunder and rain; that you may perceive and realize how wicked you were in the eyes of the LORD, in asking for yourselves a king.”

18So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. 19And the people said to Samuel, “Pray unto the LORD your God for us, that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” 20And Samuel said to the people, “Fear not: you have done all this wickedness; and yet, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve Him with all your heart. 21Do not turn away; for if you do, then you will go after vain things, which can neither profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 22For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 23But as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you; and I will teach you the good and the right way. 24Only be sure to fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; and consider all the great things He has done for you. 25But if you persist in doing wickedly, both you and your king shall perish.”