1 Samuel 8
8
Israel Demands a King
1When Samuel became old, #Deut. 16:18he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways #[Ex. 18:21] but turned aside after gain. #[Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; Ps. 15:5]They took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at #[See ch. 7:17 above]Ramah 5and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. #ver. 19, 20; [Deut. 17:14; Hos. 13:10; Acts 13:21]Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, #[Ex. 16:8] for they have not rejected you, #ch. 10:19but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them #See ver. 11-18and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
Samuel’s Warning Against Kings
10So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said, #ch. 10:25; See Deut. 17:16-20 “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: #ch. 14:52he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some #See Gen. 45:6to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14#1 Kgs. 21:7; [Ezek. 46:18]He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men#8:16 Septuagint cattle and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, #Prov. 1:28; Isa. 1:15; Mic. 3:4but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
The Lord Grants Israel’s Request
19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20#ver. 5that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, #ver. 7; [Hos. 13:11]“Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 8
8
Israel Demands a King
1#Dt 16:18–19And it came about when Samuel was old, that he installed his sons as judges for Israel. 2Now the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judging in Beersheba. 3#Dt 16:19; Ps 15:5But his sons did not walk in his way, for they followed after unlawful gain, and they took bribes, and they perverted justice.
4#1Sa 7:17And all the elders of Israel gathered together and they came to Samuel at Ramah. 5#Dt 17:14–15; 1Sa 8:19–20They said to him, “You are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now, install for us a king to govern us like all the nations.”
6#1Sa 15:11; 12:17But the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel, because they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7#Ex 16:8; 1Sa 10:19The Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in relation to all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but Me they have rejected from reigning over them. 8Just as all the deeds which they have done to Me, from the day I brought them up from Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken Me and have served other gods, so they are doing also to you now. 9#1Sa 8:11–18; 10:25Now then, obey their voice. Only you will testify against them and proclaim to them the judgment concerning the king who will reign over them.”
10So Samuel said all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking from him a king. 11#1Sa 10:25; 14:52And he said, “This will be the judgment concerning the king who will reign over you: Your sons he will take in order to place them for himself in his chariots and as his horsemen, and they will run before his chariot, 12and in order to assign for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties, and to plow his ground, and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13And your daughters he will take for perfumers, and cooks, and bakers. 14#1Ki 21:7; Eze 46:18And your choicest fields, and vineyards, and olive groves he will take and give them to his servants. 15And of your seed fields and your vineyards he will take a tenth of their harvest and will give it to his high officials and to his servants. 16And your menservants and your maidservants, and the best of your young men and asses he will take and make do his work. 17Your flocks he will take a tenth of, but you will be his for slaves. 18#Isa 1:15; Mic 3:4And you will cry out in that day because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19#Jer 44:16But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But surely a king will be over us! 20#1Sa 8:5So that we also will be like all the nations! And so that our king will govern us, and will go out before us, and will fight our battles.”
21#Jdg 11:11And after Samuel heard all the words of the people, he spoke them in the hearing of the Lord. 22#1Sa 8:7; Hos 13:11And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice, and make for them a king.”
So Samuel said to Israel’s fighting men, “Go every man to his city.”
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