| 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. |
