⁴ So all the elders^(A) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.^{(B) 5} They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king^(C) to lead^[a](D) us, such as all the other nations^(E) have.”

⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king^(F) to lead us,” this displeased^(G) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen^(H) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,^(I) but they have rejected me as their king.^(J)

¹⁰ Samuel told^(A) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take^(B) your sons and make them serve^(C) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.^{(D) 12} Some he will assign to be commanders^(E) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your^(F) fields and vineyards^(G) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.^{(H) 15} He will take a tenth^(I) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[a] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer^(J) you in that day.^(K)”

¹⁹ But the people refused^(L) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want^(M) a king^(N) over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations,^(O) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated^(P) it before the Lord. ²² The Lord answered, “Listen^(Q) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”