1 Samuel 8
Jubilee Bible 2000
8 ¶ 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 did not walk in his ways but turned aside after greed, receiving bribes and perverting that which is right.
4 ¶ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel in Ramah
5 and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons do not walk in thy ways; therefore make us a king to judge us like all the Gentiles.
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, with which they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they also do unto thee.
9 Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice; however first protest solemnly against them by declaring unto them the rights of the king that shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked him for a king.
11 And he said, This will be the right 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 chariot.
12 And he will appoint captains over thousands and captains over fifties and will set them to plough his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and the munitions of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be confectioneries and to be cooks and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your good oliveyards and give them to his slaves.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards to give to his officers and to his slaves.
16 And he will take your menslaves and your maidslaves and your good young men and your asses and do his work with them.
17 He will also take the tenth of your sheep, and finally ye shall be his slaves.
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 hear the voice of Samuel, and they said, No, but we will have a king over us
20 that we also may be like all the Gentiles and that our king may govern 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 place a king over them. Then Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go each one unto his city.
1 Samuel 8
English Standard Version
Israel Demands a King
8 When Samuel became old, (A)he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways (B)but turned aside after gain. (C)They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at (D)Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. (E)Now appoint for 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 to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, (F)for they have not rejected you, (G)but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them (H)and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
Samuel's Warning Against Kings
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, (I)“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: (J)he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some (K)to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 (L)He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, (M)but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
The Lord Grants Israel's Request
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 (N)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 when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, (O)“Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint cattle
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
