1 Samuel 8
New International Version
Israel Asks for a King
8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,(B) and they served at Beersheba.(C) 3 But his sons(D) did not follow his ways. They turned aside(E) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes(F) and perverted(G) justice.
4 So all the elders(H) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.(I) 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king(J) to lead[b](K) us, such as all the other nations(L) have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king(M) to lead us,” this displeased(N) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen(O) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,(P) but they have rejected me as their king.(Q) 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking(R) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know(S) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
10 Samuel told(T) 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(U) your sons and make them serve(V) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.(W) 12 Some he will assign to be commanders(X) 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(Y) fields and vineyards(Z) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.(AA) 15 He will take a tenth(AB) 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[c] 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(AC) you in that day.(AD)”
19 But the people refused(AE) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want(AF) a king(AG) over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations,(AH) 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(AI) it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen(AJ) to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 8:1 Traditionally judges
- 1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20
- 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men
1 Samuel 12:11-13
New International Version
11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[a](A) Barak,[b](B) Jephthah(C) and Samuel,[c](D) and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12 “But when you saw that Nahash(E) king(F) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule(G) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king(H) you have chosen, the one you asked(I) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Also called Gideon
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
- 1 Samuel 12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson
1 Samuel 12:17-19
New International Version
17 Is it not wheat harvest(A) now? I will call(B) on the Lord to send thunder(C) and rain.(D) And you will realize what an evil(E) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”
18 Then Samuel called on the Lord,(F) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe(G) of the Lord and of Samuel.
19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray(H) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,(I) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”
Hosea 8:1
New International Version
Israel to Reap the Whirlwind
Hosea 8:4
New International Version
Hosea 8:12
New International Version
12 I wrote for them the many things of my law,
but they regarded them as something foreign.(A)
Hosea 8:14
New International Version
Hosea 13:11
New International Version
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.