1 Samuel 8

¹And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he set his sons as judges over Israel.

²And the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah; they were judging at Beersheba.

³But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after unjust gain, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴And all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel at Ramah.

⁵And they said to him, 'Look, you have grown old, and your sons have not walked in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations.'

⁶But the thing was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us," and Samuel prayed to the Lord.

⁷And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected, but it is me they have rejected from reigning over them.'

⁸According to all the deeds that they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.

⁹Now therefore listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and tell them the manner of the king who will reign over them.

¹⁰And Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king.

¹¹And he said, 'This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them for himself — for his chariot and for his horsemen — and they will run before his chariot.

¹²and to appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and to plow his plowing and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and the equipment of his chariots.

¹³And your daughters he will take as perfumers and cooks and bakers.

¹⁴And your fields and your vineyards and your best olive orchards he will take and give to his servants.

¹⁵He will tithe your grain fields and your vineyards and give the revenue to his court officers and his servants.

¹⁶And your male servants and your maidservants and your best young men and your donkeys he will take and put them to his work.

¹⁷He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

¹⁸And you will cry out on that day from before the king of you all whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not answer you on that day.

¹⁹But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, 'No! But there shall be a king over us,

²⁰that 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 Samuel heard all the words of the people and spoke them in the ears of the LORD.

²²And the Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and set a king over them." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go, each man to his city."