1 Samuel 8

1 When Samuel had grown old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 These are the names of his sons: Joel the firstborn, and the name of the second was Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. [a] 3 But his sons did not walk in his way. They turned aside after profit, and took bribes, and turned rulings aside. [b]

4 So the men of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel at Ramathaim, [c] 5 and they said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your way. Now appoint a king over us to judge us, like the rest of the nations.” 6 The thing was evil in Samuel’s eyes, that they had said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in whatever they say to you; for it is not you they have rejected, but me they have rejected from being king over them. 8 Just as they have dealt with me in everything they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day — leaving me and serving other gods — so they are dealing with you too. 9 So now listen to their voice. Only you must warn them, and warn them plainly, and tell them the rule of the king who will reign over them.” [d]

10 And Samuel spoke every word of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This will be the rule of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and put them in his chariots and among his horsemen, and set them running ahead of his chariots; 12 and he will make them his commanders of a thousand and his commanders of a hundred, and set them to reap his harvest and gather his grapes and make his weapons of war and the fittings of his chariots. [e] 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take your fields and your vineyards and your good olive groves, and give them to his slaves. 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his eunuchs and to his slaves. [f] 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and your best herds, and your donkeys, and take a tenth of them for his own work. [g] 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will be his slaves. 18 And you will cry out on that day because of your king, whom you chose for yourselves; and the Lord will not answer you in those days, because you chose a king for yourselves.”

19 But the people would not listen to Samuel, and they said to him, “No — there will be a king over us! 20 We too will be like all the nations. Our king will judge us, and go out ahead of us, and fight our battles.” 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and spoke them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and give them a king to reign over them.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Let each man go to his own city.”