1 Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have heeded Josh. 8:31;1 Sam. 10:8 your voice in all that you said to me, and 1 Sam. 8:5, 7, 9, 20, 22 have made a king over you.
2 And now here is the king, 1 Sam. 10:24; 11:14, 15 walking before you; Num. 27:17;1 Sam. 8:20 and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.
3 Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before 1 Sam. 8:1, 5 His anointed: 1 Sam. 10:1; 24:6;2 Sam. 1:14, 16 Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any Num. 16:15; Acts 20:33;1 Thess. 2:5 bribe with which to Ex. 23:8 blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
4 And they said, Deut. 16:19 “You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 Then he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, Lev. 19:13 that you have not found anything John 18:38; Acts 23:9; 24:20 in my hand.” And they answered, “ He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, Ex. 22:4 “ It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore, stand still, that I may Ex. 6:26; Mic. 6:4 reason with you before the Lord concerning all the Is. 1:18; Ezek. 20:35; Mic. 6:1–5 righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers:
8 Judg. 5:11; Ps. 103:6 When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers Gen. 46:5, 6; Ps. 105:23 cried out to the Lord , then the Lord Ex. 2:23–25 sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.
9 And when they Ex. 3:10; 4:14–16 forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Deut. 32:18; Judg. 3:7 Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Judg. 4:2 Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Judg. 3:31; 10:7; 13:1 Moab; and they fought against them.
10 Then they cried out to the Lord , and said, Judg. 3:12–30 ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord Judg. 10:10 and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’
11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Judg. 2:13; 3:7 Jephthah, and Judg. 11:1 Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.
12 And when you saw that 1 Sam. 7:13 Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, 1 Sam. 11:1, 2 you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when 1 Sam. 8:5, 19, 20 the Lord your God was your king.
13 “Now therefore, Judg. 8:23;1 Sam. 8:7; Ps. 59:13 here is the king 1 Sam. 10:24 whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, 1 Sam. 8:5; 12:17, 19 the Lord has set a king over you.
14 If you Hos. 13:11 fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord , then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God.
15 However, if you do Josh. 24:14 not obey the voice of the Lord , but Deut. 28:15 rebel against the commandment of the Lord , then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 “Now therefore, Lev. 26:14, 15; Josh. 24:20; Is. 1:20 stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes:
17 Is today not the Ex. 14:13, 31 wheat harvest? Gen. 30:14 I will call to the Lord , and He will send thunder and Josh. 10:12;1 Sam. 7:9, 10; (James 5:16–18) rain, that you may perceive and see that Ezra 10:9 your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord , in asking a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord , and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and 1 Sam. 8:7 all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, Ex. 14:31 “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”
20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; Ex. 9:28;1 Sam. 7:8; (James 5:15;1 John 5:16) yet do not turn aside from following the Lord , but serve the Lord with all your heart.
21 And Deut. 11:16 do not turn aside; 2 Chr. 25:15 for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.
22 For Is. 41:29; Jer. 16:19; Hab. 2:18;1 Cor. 8:4 the Lord will not forsake Deut. 31:6;1 Kin. 6:13 His people, Is. 43:21 for His great name’s sake, because Ex. 32:12; Num. 14:13; Josh. 7:9; Ps. 106:8; Jer. 14:21 it has pleased the Lord to make you His people.
23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord Deut. 7:6–11;1 Pet. 2:9 in ceasing to pray for you; but Acts 12:5; Rom. 1:9; Col. 1:9;2 Tim. 1:3 I will teach you the Ps. 34:11; Prov. 4:11 good and the right way.
24 1 Kin. 8:36 Only fear the Lord , and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for Eccl. 12:13 consider what Is. 5:12 great things He has done for you.
25 But if you still do wickedly, Deut. 10:21 you shall be swept away, Josh. 24:20 both you and your king.”