But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king — Samuel ends with a final conditional warning. If Israel 'do wickedly' (taashun ra'a), both people and king will be 'consumed' (tutammem, destroyed or swept away). The fate of the monarchy is bound to the covenant fidelity of the people. The passage concludes Samuel's farewell address and establishes the theological framework within which Israel's kingship must operate: conditional on obedience to God's law and dependent on divine grace.

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