The Bible

1 Samuel Chapter 8

¹When Samuel was old he made his sons judges over Israel.

²Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.

³His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after extortion, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah; ⁵and 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." ⁶But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." Samuel prayed to ForeverOne.

⁷ForeverOne 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.

⁸According 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 they also do to you.

⁹Now 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." ¹⁰Samuel told all the words of ForeverOne to the people who asked him for a king.

¹¹He 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; ¹²and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and [he will set some] to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.

¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

¹⁴He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

¹⁵He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

¹⁶He will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.

¹⁷He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.

¹⁸You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen; and ForeverOne will not answer you in that day." ¹⁹But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No; but we will have 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." ²¹Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of ForeverOne.

²²ForeverOne 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."