1 Kings 8
8
1And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.
2Now the name of his firstborn son was Joel: and the name of the second was Abia, judges in Bersabee.
3And his sons walked not in his ways: but they turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4Then all the ancients of Israel being assembled came to Samuel to Ramatha.
5And they said to him: Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways. Make us a king, to judge us, as all nations have.
6And the word was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, that they should say: Give us a king, to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee. For they have not rejected thee, but me, that I should not reign over them.
8According to all their works, they have done from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until this day: as they have forsaken me, and served strange gods, so do they also unto thee.
9Now therefore hearken to their voice: but yet testify to them, and foretell them the right of the king, that shall reign over them.
10Then Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people that had desired a king of him,
11And said: This will be the right of the king, that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and put them in his chariots, and will make them his horsemen, and his running footmen to run before his chariots.
12And he will appoint of them to be his tribunes, and centurions, and to plough his fields, and to reap his corn, and to make him arms and chariots.
13Your daughters also he will take to make him ointments, and to be his cooks, and bakers.
14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best oliveyards, and give them to his servants.
15Moreover he will take the tenth of your corn, and of the revenues of your vineyards, to give his eunuchs and servants.
16Your servants also and handmaids, and your goodliest young men, and your asses he will take away, and put them to his work.
17Your flocks also he will tithe, and you shall be his servants.
18And you shall cry out in that day from the face of the king, whom you have chosen to yourselves: and the Lord will not hear you in that day, because you desired unto yourselves a king.
19But the people would not hear the voice of Samuel, and they said: Nay: but there shall be a king over us.
20And we also will be like all nations: and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles for us.
21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.
22And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel: Let every man go to his city.
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1 Kings 8: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 8
8
Israel’s Demand for a King
1When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. # Dt 16:18-19 2His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. # Gn 22:19; 1Kg 19:3; Am 5:5 3However, his sons did not walk in his ways — they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. # Ex 23:1-9
4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. # 1Sm 7:17 5They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” # Dt 17:14-15
6When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 7But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king. # Ex 16:8; 1Sm 10:19 8They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, # LXX; MT omits to Me since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. 9Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them # Ezk 3:18 and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
10Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, “These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. 12He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, # Nm 31:14; 1Sm 22:7 to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots. 13He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. # 1Kg 21:7; Ezk 46:18 15He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. 16He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, # LXX reads best cattle and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. 18When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, # Is 8:21 but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.” # Pr 1:25-28; Mc 3:4
19The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No! ” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, # Nm 27:17; 1Sm 18:13; 2Ch 1:10 and fight our battles.”
21Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. # Lit them in the Lord’s ears 22“Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” # 1Sm 8:7
Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”
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