|
Chapter 8 |
| 1 | And it came to
pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. |
| 2 |
Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they
were judges in Beersheba. |
|
3 | And his sons walked not in his ways,
but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
|
| 4 | Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Ramah, |
| 5 | And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and
thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations. |
| 6
| But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us
a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. |
| 7 | And the LORD
said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say
unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I
should not reign over them. |
|
8 | According to all the works which they
have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day,
wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto
thee. |
| 9 |
Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest
solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over
them. |
| 10 |
And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that
asked of him a king. |
| 11 | And he said, This will be the manner of the
king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for
himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before
his chariots. |
|
12 | And he will appoint him captains over thousands,
and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his
harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his
chariots. |
| 13
| And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries,
and to be cooks, and to be bakers. |
| 14 | And he will take your fields,
and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them
to his servants. |
|
15 | And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of
your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. |
| 16 | And
he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young
men, and your asses, and put them to his work. |
| 17 | He will take
the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. |
| 18 | And ye shall
cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and
the LORD will not hear you in that day. |
|
19 | Nevertheless the people
refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a
king over us; |
|
20 | 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. |
| 21 |
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears
of the LORD. |
|
22 | And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their
voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye
every man unto his city. |
