Israel Asks for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,(B) and they served at Beersheba.(C) But his sons(D) did not follow his ways. They turned aside(E) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes(F) and perverted(G) justice.

So all the elders(H) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.(I) 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.”

But when they said, “Give us a king(M) to lead us,” this displeased(N) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 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) 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. 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. 1 Samuel 8:1 Traditionally judges
  2. 1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20
  3. 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men

Dân Ít-ra-en đòi có vua

Khi Sa-mu-ên về già, ông đề cử các con trai mình làm quan án trên Ít-ra-en. Con trai trưởng tên Giô-ên, con thứ nhì tên A-bi-gia. Giô-ên và A-bi-gia làm quan án ở Bê-e-sê-ba. Nhưng các con Sa-mu-ên không sống đạo đức như ông. Chúng kiếm tiền một cách bất lương và nhận hối lộ để phán quyết bậy bạ. Cho nên các bô lão họp lại gặp Sa-mu-ên ở Ra-ma. Họ bảo, “Ông đã già rồi mà các con ông lại không noi gương ông. Xin cho chúng tôi một vua để cai trị trên chúng tôi như các dân tộc khác.”

Khi nghe các bô lão nói vậy, Sa-mu-ên rất buồn lòng. Ông cầu nguyện cùng CHÚA, Ngài trả lời, “Hãy chiều theo mọi điều dân chúng xin ngươi. Không phải họ từ bỏ ngươi mà là từ bỏ ta để ta không còn làm vua trên họ. Từ trước đến nay họ vẫn hành động như thế. Khi ta mang họ ra khỏi Ai-cập, họ bỏ ta đi theo các thần khác. Ngày nay họ đối với ngươi cũng vậy. Bây giờ hãy nghe theo họ, nhưng phải cảnh cáo họ trước những gì mà vua cai trị trên họ sẽ làm.”

10 Vậy Sa-mu-ên thuật lại cho những kẻ muốn xin có vua về những gì CHÚA nói. 11 Sa-mu-ên bảo, “Nếu các ngươi muốn có vua cai trị mình thì người sẽ làm như sau: Người sẽ bắt con trai các ngươi chăm sóc các quân xa và ngựa mình, chúng nó sẽ chạy trước các quân xa của vua.

12 Vua sẽ bắt các con trai các ngươi chỉ huy hàng ngàn hay hàng năm mươi người. Người sẽ bắt các con trai khác các ngươi cày ruộng và gặt hái trong đồng ruộng mình. Người sẽ bắt mấy đứa con khác làm vũ khí chiến tranh và trang cụ cho quân xa mình.

13 Người sẽ bắt con gái các ngươi làm thợ chế dầu thơm, nấu nướng cho người.

14 Người sẽ lấy ruộng, vườn nho và vườn ô liu tốt nhất của các ngươi để cho đầy tớ mình. 15 Người sẽ thu một phần mười ngũ cốc và nho các ngươi để cấp cho các sĩ quan và đầy tớ mình.

16 Người sẽ bắt tôi trai tớ gái các ngươi, các gia súc [a] tốt nhất, và lừa các ngươi làm việc cho mình. 17 Người sẽ lấy một phần mười của chiên và dê ngươi và chính bản thân các ngươi sẽ làm nô lệ cho người.

18 Khi những chuyện đó xảy ra thì các ngươi sẽ than khóc về vua mà mình đã chọn. Lúc đó CHÚA sẽ không thèm nghe các ngươi đâu.”

19 Nhưng dân chúng nhất định không nghe Sa-mu-ên. Họ bảo, “Không! Chúng tôi muốn có vua cai trị trên chúng tôi. 20 Để chúng tôi cũng giống như các dân tộc khác. Vua của chúng tôi sẽ phân xứ cho chúng tôi và ra trận đánh giặc chung với chúng tôi.”

21 Sau khi Sa-mu-ên nghe mọi lời dân chúng nói thì ông thưa lại cùng CHÚA. 22 CHÚA đáp, “Ngươi hãy nghe theo họ. Hãy lập vua cho họ.”

Rồi Sa-mu-ên bảo toàn thể dân chúng, “Các ngươi hãy trở về thành mình đi.”

Footnotes

  1. I Sa-mu-ên 8:16 gia súc Đây là theo bản cổ Hi-lạp. Bản Hê-bơ-rơ tiêu chuẩn ghi, “các trai tráng.”

Israel Seeks a King

In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beer Sheba. But his sons did not follow[a] his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.[b]

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead[c] us, just like all the other nations have.”

But this request displeased Samuel, for[d] they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you.[e] For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. Just as they have done[f] from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you. So now do as they say.[g] But you must warn[h] them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.”[i]

10 So Samuel spoke all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot. 12 He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties,[j] as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment. 13 He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his own servants. 15 He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators[k] and his servants. 16 He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants. 18 In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.”[l]

19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning.[m] Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us! 20 We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us[n] and fight our battles.”

21 So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the Lord.[o] 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do as they say[p] and install a king over them.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Each of you go back to his own city.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 8:3 tn Heb “walk in” (also in v. 5).
  2. 1 Samuel 8:3 tn Heb “and they turned aside after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice.”
  3. 1 Samuel 8:5 tn Heb “judge” (also in v. 6).
  4. 1 Samuel 8:6 tn Heb “when.”
  5. 1 Samuel 8:7 tn Heb “Listen to the voice of the people, to all which they say to you.”
  6. 1 Samuel 8:8 tn Heb “according to all the deeds which they have done.”
  7. 1 Samuel 8:9 tn Heb “and now, listen to their voice.”
  8. 1 Samuel 8:9 tn The infinitive absolute appears before a verb of the same root to emphasize the modality of the verb. Here the imperfect verb expresses obligative modality, prescribing what he should do. So the nuance of the preceding infinitive absolute is “you must,” or “you certainly must.”
  9. 1 Samuel 8:9 tn Heb “and tell them the manner of the king who will rule over them.”
  10. 1 Samuel 8:12 tc The numbers of v. 12 are confused in the Greek and Syriac versions. For “fifties” the LXX has “hundreds.” The Syriac Peshitta has “heads of thousands and heads of hundreds and heads of fifties and heads of tens,” perhaps reflecting influence from Deut 1:15.
  11. 1 Samuel 8:15 tn Or “eunuchs” (so NAB); NIV “officials”; KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT “officers.”
  12. 1 Samuel 8:18 tc The LXX adds “because you have chosen for yourselves a king.”
  13. 1 Samuel 8:19 tn Heb “and the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel.”
  14. 1 Samuel 8:20 tn Heb “and go out before us.”
  15. 1 Samuel 8:21 tn Heb “and Samuel heard all the words of the people and he spoke them into the ears of the Lord.”
  16. 1 Samuel 8:22 tn Heb “listen to their voice.”

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

And 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.

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.

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.

According 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.

Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king.

11 And 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.

12 And 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.

13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest 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 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 obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

20 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 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 make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.