Where is your king? He can’t save you in all your cities! Where are your judges? You asked for them, saying, ‘Give me a king and leaders.’ {\cf2\super [146]}
So Moses became very angry. He said to the Lord, “I never did anything wrong to these people. I never took anything from them—not even a donkey! Lord, don’t accept their gifts!”
But Moses and Aaron bowed to the ground and cried out, “God, you know what people are thinking. [208] Please don’t be angry at all these people. Only one man really sinned.”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Get your bronze [218] pan and some fire from the altar. [219] Then put incense [220] on it. Hurry to the group of people and do the things that will make the people pure. [221] The Lord is angry at them. The trouble has already started.”
But today you have rejected your God. Your God saves you from all your troubles and problems. But you said, ‘No, we want a king to rule us.’ Now come, stand before the Lord in your families and family groups.”
But then you saw Nahash king of the Ammonites coming to fight against you. You said, ‘No! We want a king to rule over us!’ You said that, even though the Lord your God was already your king!
Now is the time of the wheat harvest. [118] I will pray to the Lord. I will ask him to send thunder and rain. Then you will know you did a very bad thing against the Lord when you asked for a king.”
All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants. Don’t let us die! We have sinned many times. And now we have added to those sins—we have asked for a king.”
And as for me, I would never stop praying for you. If I stopped praying for you, then I would be sinning against the Lord. I will continue to teach you the right way to live a good life.
The Lord said, “Saul has stopped following me. So I am sorry that I made Saul king. He is not doing what I tell him.” Samuel became angry and cried to the Lord all night.