⁶ When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord.

¹⁷ Isn’t the wheat harvest today?^(A) I will call on the Lord and He will send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves.”^(B)

¹⁹ They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants,^(A) so we won’t die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of requesting a king for ourselves.”^(B)

²³ “As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.^(A) I will teach you the good and right way.