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1 Samuel chapter 8

English Standard Version

1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According 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. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
10So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, 20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."
New International Version

1When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."
6But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights."
10Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12Some he will assign to be commanders 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. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
19But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
21When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord.
22The Lord answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the Israelites, "Everyone go back to your own town."
New American Standard Bible

1Now it came about, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. 3His sons, however, did not walk in his ways but turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5and they said to him, 'Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations.' 6But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.' And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Listen to the voice of the people regarding all that they say to you, because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. 8Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you as well. 9Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall warn them strongly and tell them of the practice of the king who will reign over them.'
10So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked him for a king. 11And he said, 'This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and put them in his chariots for himself and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. 12He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13He will also take your daughters and use them as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15And he will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants. 16He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his work. 17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. 18Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.'
19Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, 'No, but there shall be a king over us, 20so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.' 21Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’S hearing. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them.' So Samuel said to the men of Israel, 'Go, every man to his city.'
Christian Standard Bible

1When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. 3However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.
4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. 5They said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have."
6When they said, "Give us a king to judge us," Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. 7But 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. 8They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods. 9Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them."
10Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, "These are the rights of the king who will reign 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. 12He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. 16He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. 18When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day."
19The people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We must have a king over us. 20Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles."
21Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord.
22"Listen to them," the Lord told Samuel. "Appoint a king for them." Then Samuel told the men of Israel, "Each of you, go back to your city."
New Living Translation

1As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5Look,' they told him, 'you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.'
6Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7Do everything they say to you,' the Lord replied, 'for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.'
10So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 11This is how a king will reign over you,' Samuel said. 'The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. 17He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.'
19But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. 'Even so, we still want a king,' they said. 20We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.'
21So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, 22and the Lord replied, 'Do as they say, and give them a king.' Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.
King James Version

1And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5And 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.
6But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7And 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. 8According 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. 9Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. 11And 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. 12And 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. 13And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18And 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.
19Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. 22And 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.
New King James Version

1Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8According 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. 9Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
10So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. 11And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12He will 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. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
19Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord.
22So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”

What does 1 Samuel chapter 8 mean?

The story of Samuel jumps forward in time, perhaps about thirty years or so. He is now old, and he has installed his two sons as judges in the southern town of Beersheba. However, his sons Joel and Abijah are corrupt, taking bribes and perverting justice for those under their authority (1 Samuel 8:1–3).

The elders of Israel recognize this scenario as both a problem and an opportunity. The problem is obvious. Samuel will not live forever. His sons may take over judgment of the nation from him, and they are corrupt. The elders gather in Ramah, Samuel's hometown, to make a request. They want Samuel to appoint a king, making Israel like all the surrounding nations instead of having God as their king (1 Samuel 8:4–5).

Samuel hates this idea, believing it to be an evil thing. Still, Samuel takes their proposal to the Lord. The Lord tells Samuel to do as the people have asked. It's not that God is pleased about it. He assures Samuel that the people have not rejected the prophet; they have rejected the Lord as their king. They are treating Samuel in the same way they have unfaithfully treated the Lord since the day He freed them from the Egyptians (1 Samuel 8:6–8).

The Lord tells Samuel to agree to their request, but only after he gives them a solemn warning about what it will cost them to have a king reign over them. In short, the king will take from his people whatever he wants: their children as his servants, their property as gifts for his officials, their fields, crops, and cattle. In the end, the people will become slaves, in a sense, to their own king. Samuel warns that when that day comes, the Lord will not answer their cries to save them. They are choosing that future for themselves now by choosing to have a king (1 Samuel 8:9–18).

After hearing all of this, would the elders of Israel change their minds about a king? No, they still insist on having a king for three reasons: to be like all the other nations, to have one king to judge over all of them, and to have someone to lead them into battle (1 Samuel 8:19–20).

When Samuel reports this to the Lord, God tells him to do as they have said and make them a king. Samuel sends the elders of Israel back to their homes (1 Samuel 8:21–22).
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