1 Samuel 8

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The evil government of Samuel's sons

Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. It happened, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
The name of his first son was Joel and the name of his second Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.
And his sons did not go in his ways, but moved by the love of money took rewards, and were not upright in judging. His sons didn’t walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

The Israelites ask for a king

Then all the responsible men of Israel got together and went to Samuel at Ramah, Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah;
And said to him, See now, you are old, and your sons do not go in your ways: give us a king now to be our judge, so that we may be like the other nations. and they said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
But Samuel was not pleased when they said to him, Give us a king to be our judge. And Samuel made prayer to the Lord. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to the voice of the people and what they say to you: they have not been turned away from you, but they have been turned away from me, not desiring me to be king over them. Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them.
As they have done from the first, from the day when I took them out of Egypt till this day, turning away from me and worshipping other gods, so now they are acting in the same way to you. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you.
Give ear now to their voice: but make a serious protest to them, and give them a picture of the sort of king who will be their ruler. Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the king who shall reign over them.”

The manner of a king

And Samuel said all these words of the Lord to the people who were desiring a king. Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of him a king.
And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages; He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages. and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.
Your daughters he will take to be makers of perfumes and cooks and bread-makers. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
He will take your fields and your vine-gardens and your olive-gardens, all the best of them, and give them to his servants. He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even their best, and give them to his servants.
He will take a tenth of your seed and of the fruit of your vines and give it to his servants. He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
He will take your men-servants and your servant-girls, and the best of your oxen and your asses and put them to his work. He will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
He will take a tenth of your sheep: and you will be his servants. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.
Then you will be crying out because of your king whom you have taken for yourselves; but the Lord will not give you an answer in that day. You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
But the people gave no attention to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but we will have a king over us, But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No; but we will have a king over us,
So that we may be like the other nations, and so that our king may be our judge and go out before us to war. that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”
Then Samuel, after hearing all the people had to say, went and gave an account of it to the Lord. Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh.
And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to their voice and make a king for them. Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, Let every man go back to his town. Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.” Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
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