1 Samuel 8

¹ When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges of Israel.

² His eldest son was cal ed Joel and his second one, Abijah; they were judges at Beersheba.

³ His sons did not fol ow his example but, seduced by the love of money, took bribes and gave biasedverdicts.

⁴ The elders of Israel all assembled, went back to Samuel at Ramah, and said,

⁵ 'Look, you are old, and your sons are not fol owing your example. So give us a king to judge us, like theother nations.'

⁶ Samuel thought that it was wrong of them to say, 'Let us have a king to judge us,' so he prayed toYahweh.

⁷ But Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in al that they say to you: it is not you theyhave rejected

⁸ but me, not wishing me to reign over them any more. They are now doing to you exactly what they havedone to me since the day I brought them out of Egypt until now, deserting me and serving other gods.

⁹ So, do what they ask; only, you must give them a solemn warning, and must tell them what the kingwho is to reign over them will do.'

¹⁰ Everything that Yahweh had said, Samuel then repeated to the people who were asking him for aking.

¹¹ He said, 'This is what the king who is to reign over you wil do. He wil take your sons and direct themto his chariotry and cavalry, and they wil run in front of his chariot.

¹² He wil use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he wil make them plough his fields andgather in his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots.

¹³ He wil take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers.

¹⁴ He wil take the best of your fields, your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his officials.

¹⁵ He wil tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his courtiers and his officials.

¹⁶ He wil take the best of your servants, men and women, of your oxen and your donkeys, and makethem work for him.

¹⁷ He wil tithe your flocks, and you yourselves wil become his slaves.

¹⁸ When that day comes, you wil cry aloud because of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but onthat day Yahweh wil not hear you.'

¹⁹ The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel. They said, 'No! We are determined to have a king,

²⁰ so that we can be like the other nations, with our own king to rule us and lead us and fight our battles.'

²¹ Samuel listened to al that the people had to say and repeated it in Yahweh's ear.

²² Yahweh then said to Samuel, 'Do as they ask and give them a king.' Samuel then said to theIsraelites, 'Go home, each of you, to his own town.'