1 Samuel 8
1599 Geneva Bible
8 1 Samuel maketh his sons Judges over Israel, who follow not his steps. 5 The Israelites ask a King. 11 Samuel declareth in what state they should be under the King. 19 Notwithstanding, they ask one still, and the Lord willeth Samuel to grant unto them.
1 When Samuel was now become old, he [a]made his sons Judges over Israel,
2 (And the name of his eldest son was [b]Joel, and the name of the second Abijah) even Judges in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and (A)took rewards, and perverted the judgment.
4 ¶ Wherefore all the Elders of Israel gathered them together, and came to Samuel unto [c]Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: (B)make us now a King to judge us like all nations.
6 But the thing [d]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, Hear the voice of the people in all that they shall say unto thee: for they have not cast thee away, but they have cast me away, that I should not reign over them.
8 As they have ever done since I brought them out of Egypt even unto this day, (and have forsaken me, and served other gods) even so do they unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit, yet [e]testify unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10 ¶ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked a king of him.
11 And he said, This shall be the [f]manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariot.
12 Also he will make them his captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make instruments of war, and the things that serve for his chariots.
13 He will also take your daughters and make them Apothecaries, and Cooks, and Bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best Olive trees, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give it to his [g]Eunuchs, and to his servants.
16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and the chief of your 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 at that day, because of your king, whom ye have chosen you, and the Lord will not [h]hear you at that day.
19 But the people would not hear the voice of Samuel, but did say, Nay, but there shall be a king over us.
20 And we also will be like all other nations, and our king shall judge us, and go out before us and fight our battles.
21 Therefore when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.
22 And the Lord said to Samuel, [i]Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go every man unto his city.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 8:1 Because he was not able to bear the charge.
- 1 Samuel 8:2 Who was also called Vasheni, 1 Chron. 6:28.
- 1 Samuel 8:4 For there his house was, 1 Sam. 7:17.
- 1 Samuel 8:6 Because they were not content with the order that God had appointed, but would be governed as were the Gentiles.
- 1 Samuel 8:9 To prove if they will forsake their wicked purpose.
- 1 Samuel 8:11 Not that kings have this authority by their office, but that such as reign in God’s wrath should usurp this over their brethren, contrary to the law, Deut. 17:20.
- 1 Samuel 8:15 Or, chief officers.
- 1 Samuel 8:18 Because ye repent not for your sins, but because ye smart for your afflictions, whereinto ye cast yourselves willingly.
- 1 Samuel 8:22 Or, grant their request.
1 Samuel 8
New King James Version
Israel Demands a King
8 Now it came to pass when Samuel was (A)old that he (B)made his (C)sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons (D)did not walk in his ways; they turned aside (E)after dishonest gain, (F)took bribes, and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now (G)make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6 But the thing (H)displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel (I)prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for (J)they have not rejected you, but (K)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 to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and (L)show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, (M)“This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your (N)sons and appoint them for his own (O)chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will (P)appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And (Q)he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest [a]young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord (R)will not hear you in that day.”
19 Nevertheless the people (S)refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be (T)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 repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel, (U)“Heed their voice, and make them a king.”
And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 8:16 LXX cattle
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
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
