1 Samuel 8
8
1And it cometh to pass, when Samuel [is] aged, that he maketh his sons judges over Israel.
2And the name of his first-born son is Joel, and the name of his second Abiah, judges in Beer-Sheba:
3and his sons have not walked in his ways, and turn aside after the dishonest gain, and take a bribe, and turn aside judgment.
4And all the elders of Israel gather themselves together, and come in unto Samuel to Ramath,
5and say unto him, ‘Lo, thou hast become aged, and thy sons have not walked in thy ways; now, appoint to us a king, to judge us, like all the nations.’
6And the thing is evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they have said, ‘Give to us a king to judge us;’ and Samuel prayeth unto Jehovah.
7And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, ‘Hearken to the voice of the people, to all that they say unto thee, for thee they have not rejected, but Me they have rejected, from reigning over them.
8According to all the works that they have done from the day of My bringing them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, when they forsake Me, and serve other gods — so they are doing also to thee.
9And now, hearken to their voice; only, surely thou dost certainly protest to them, and hast declared to them the custom of the king who doth reign over them.’
10And Samuel speaketh all the words of Jehovah unto the people who are asking from him a king,
11and saith, ‘This is the custom of the king who doth reign over you: Your sons he doth take, and hath appointed for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen, and they have run before his chariots;
12also to appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; also to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make instruments of his war, and instruments of his charioteer.
13‘And your daughters he doth take for perfumers, and for cooks, and for bakers;
14and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards — the best — he doth take, and hath given to his servants.
15And your seed and your vineyards he doth tithe, and hath given to his eunuchs, and to his servants.
16And your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your young men — the best, and your asses, he doth take, and hath prepared for his own work;
17your flock he doth tithe, and ye are to him for servants.
18And ye have cried out in that day because of the king whom ye have chosen for yourselves, and Jehovah doth not answer you in that day.’
19And the people refuse to hearken to the voice of Samuel, and say, ‘Nay, but a king is over us,
20and we have been, even we, like all the nations; and our king hath judged us, and gone out before us, and fought our battles.’
21And Samuel heareth all the words of the people, and speaketh them in the ears of Jehovah;
22and Jehovah saith unto Samuel, ‘Hearken to their voice, and thou hast caused to reign over them a king.’ And Samuel saith unto the men of Israel, ‘Go ye each to his city.’
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1 Samuel 8: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
1 Samuel 8
8
Israel Asks for a King
1When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges for Israel. 2His first son was named Joel, and his second son was named Abijah. Joel and Abijah were judges in Beersheba. 3But Samuel’s sons did not live as he did. They tried to get money dishonestly, and they accepted money secretly to make wrong judgments.
4So all the elders came together and met Samuel at Ramah. 5They said to him, “You’re old, and your sons don’t live as you do. Give us a king to rule over us like all the other nations.”
6When the elders said that, Samuel was not pleased. He prayed to the Lord, 7and the Lord told Samuel, “Listen to whatever the people say to you. They have not rejected you. They have rejected me from being their king. 8They are doing as they have always done. When I took them out of Egypt, they left me and served other gods. They are doing the same to you. 9Now listen to the people, but warn them what the king who rules over them will do.”
10So Samuel told those who had asked him for a king what the Lord had said. 11Samuel said, “If you have a king ruling over you, this is what he will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and his horses, and they will run in front of the king’s chariot. 12The king will make some of your sons commanders over thousands or over fifties. He will make some of your other sons plow his ground and reap his harvest. He will take others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to make perfume and cook and bake for him. 14He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his servants. 15He will take one-tenth of your grain and grapes and give it to his officers and servants. 16He will take your male and female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them all for his own work. 17He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18When that time comes, you will cry out because of the king you chose. But the Lord will not answer you then.”
19But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, “No! We want a king to rule over us. 20Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will judge for us and go with us and fight our battles.”
21After Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated their words to the Lord. 22The Lord answered, “You must listen to them. Give them a king.”
Then Samuel told the people of Israel, “Go back to your towns.”
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.