Warning concerning a King

¹⁰ So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to ^(A)the people who had asked him for a king. ¹¹ And he said, “^(B)This will be the ^[a]practice of the king who will reign over you: ^(C)he will take your sons and put them in his chariots for himself and among his horsemen, and ^(D)they will run before his chariots. ^12 (E)He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to ^[b]do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters and use them as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ^14 (F)He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ And he will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants. ¹⁶ He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and ^[c]use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸ Then ^(G)you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but ^(H)the Lord will not answer you on that day.”

¹⁹ Yet the people ^(I)refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, ^20 (J)so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²¹ Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, ^(K)he ^[d]repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. ²² And the Lord said to Samuel, “^(L)Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, every man to his city.”