1 Samuel 8
8
Israel Demands a King
1Now when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
2The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second Abijah—they were judges in Beersheba.
3His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain—they took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5and said to him, “Behold, you have grown old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us—like all the nations.”
6But the matter was displeasing in Samuel’s eyes when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to Adonai.
7Then Adonai said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, rather they have rejected Me from being king over them.
8Like all the deeds that they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt to this day—forsaking Me and worshiping other gods—so they are doing to you also.
9So now, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly forewarn them, and declare to them the rulings of the king who will reign over them.”
10Now Samuel reported all the words of Adonai to the people who were asking him for a king.
11“This will be the practice of the king that will reign over you,” he said. “He will draft your sons and assign them as his charioteers and horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.
12He will appoint them as commanders of thousands and captains of fifties, also some to plow his fields, reap his harvest, make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots.
13Also he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks and bakers.
14He will seize the best of your fields, vineyards and olive groves, and give them to his courtiers.
15He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage and give it to his officials and slaves.
16He will also take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys and make them do his work.
17He will also take the tenth of your flocks. Then you yourselves will become his slaves.
18When the day comes and you cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, Adonai will not answer you on that day.”
19But the people refused to listen to Samuel, and they said, “No! But a king should be over us!
20So we may become like all the nations—having our king who will judge us, go out before us and fight our battles.”
21After Samuel heard all the words of the people, he reported them back in the hearing of Adonai.
22Adonai said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint a king to reign for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, each one to his town.”
Currently Selected:
1 Samuel 8: TLV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
1 Samuel 8
8
1When Samuel grew old, he made his sons leaders#8:1. Again the word used is “judges,” but in this period of Israel's history before they had kings the judges did not only settle legal cases but acted as rulers. over Israel. 2His first son was named Joel, and his second son was named Abijah. They were rulers in Beersheba. 3However, his sons did not follow his ways. They were corrupt, making money by accepting bribes and perverting justice.
4So the elders of Israel all joined together and came to meet Samuel at Ramah. 5“Look here,” they told him, “you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. Choose a king to rule over us like all the other nations.”
6Samuel thought this was a bad idea when they said, “Give us a king to rule over us,” so he prayed to the Lord about it. 7“Do what the people tell you,” the Lord said to Samuel, “because it's not you they're rejecting, but me as their king. 8They're doing just as they have always done since I led them out of Egypt right up to now. They have abandoned me and worshiped other gods, and they're doing just the same to you. 9So do what they want, but give them a solemn warning—explain to them what a king will do when he rules over them.”
10Samuel repeated all that the Lord had said to the people asking him to give them a king. 11“This is what a king will do when he rules over you,” he told them. “He will take your sons and make them serve as charioteers and horsemen, and to run as a guard in front of his chariot. 12Some of them he will make commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some will have to plow his fields and reap his harvest. Some will be assigned to making weapons of war and chariot equipment. 13He will take your daughters and have them work as perfume-makers, cooks, and bakers. 14He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his officials. 15He will take a tenth of your grain harvest and the produce of your vineyards and allocate it to his chief officers and officials. 16He will take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men and your donkeys, and make them work for him. 17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his slaves. 18On that day you will plead to be rescued from the king you have chosen, but the Lord won't answer you then.”
19But the people refused to listen to what Samuel said. “No!” they insisted. “We want our own king! 20That way we can be like all the other nations. Our king will rule us, and will lead us when we go out to fight our battles.”
21Samuel listened to everything the people said and repeated it to the Lord. 22The Lord told Samuel, “Do what they say and give them a king.” Then Samuel told the Israelites, “Go back to your homes.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com