1 Samuel 8:5-22

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁵ They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”^(A)

⁶ When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.^{(B) 8} They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me,^[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. ⁹ Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them^(C) and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”

¹⁰ Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. ¹² He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties,^(D) to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.^{(E) 15} He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. ¹⁶ He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men,^[b] and your donkeys and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves,^(F) but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”^(G)

¹⁹ The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. ²⁰ Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us,^(H) and fight our battles.”

²¹ Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord.^{[c] 22} “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”^(I)

Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”