¹And Samuel said to all Israel, "Look, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have made a king reign over you.

²And now, look, the king walks about before your face; and I am old and gray, and my sons, look, are with you; and I have walked about before your face from my youth to this day.

³Look, I am here; answer against me before Yahweh and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken, and whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I oppressed, whom have I crushed? From whose hand have I taken a ransom to hide my eyes with it? Then I will restore it to you.

⁴And they said, "You have not oppressed us, and you have not crushed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of any man."

⁵And he said to them, "Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."

⁶And Samuel said to the people, "Yahweh is the one who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers from the land of Egypt."

⁷And now stand, and let me judge you to the face of Yahweh, in all the righteousness of Yahweh which he made with you and with your fathers.

⁸When Jacob came to Egypt, your fathers cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

⁹And they forgot Yahweh their God, and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.

¹⁰And they cried out to Yahweh and they said, "We have sinned, for we have forsaken Yahweh and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; and now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you."

¹¹And Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies round about, and you dwelled in security.

¹²And you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon was coming against you, and you said to me, "No, but a king will reign over us" — though Yahweh your God was your king.

¹³And now, look, the king whom you chose, whom you asked for; and look, Yahweh has set a king over you.

¹⁴If you will fear Yahweh and serve him and heed his voice, and not rebel against the mouth of Yahweh, then both you and the king who reigns over you will be following after Yahweh your God.

¹⁵But if you do not heed the voice of Yahweh, and you rebel against the mouth of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh will be against you and against your fathers.

¹⁶Also now take your stand and see this great word which Yahweh is about to do before your eyes.

¹⁷Is it not the wheat harvest this day? I will call out to Yahweh, and he will give sounds and rain; and know and see that your evil is great, which you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking a king for yourselves.

¹⁸And Samuel called out to Yahweh, and Yahweh gave sounds and rain on that day; and all the people feared Yahweh and Samuel exceedingly.

¹⁹And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your slaves to Yahweh your God, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, by asking a king for ourselves."

²⁰And Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid. You yourselves have done all this evil; only do not turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart."

²¹And do not turn aside, for you would go after the shapeless, which do not profit and do not deliver, for they are shapeless.

²²For Yahweh will not abandon his people, on account of his great name; for Yahweh was determined to make you a people for himself.

²³As for me also — far be it from me to sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you; and I will teach you in the way of the good and the upright.

²⁴Only fear Yahweh and serve him in faithfulness with all your heart; for see how he has made things great with you.

²⁵And if you truly do evil, you will be swept away, both you and your king.