⁹ Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them ^(A)and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

²⁵ Then Samuel told the people ^(A)the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.

¹¹ He said, ^(A)“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: ^(B)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 ^(C)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 (D)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, ^(E)but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

^18 (A)The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, ^(B)thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people shall be ^(C)scattered from his property.”

^18 (A)If I say to the wicked, ^(B)‘You shall surely die,’ ^(C)and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person ^(D)shall die for^[a] his iniquity, ^(E)but his blood I will require at your hand.

The Portion for the Prince

^7 (A)“And to ^(B)the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary ⁸ of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And ^(C)my princes shall no more oppress my people, but ^(D)they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.

⁵² There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, ^(A)he attached him to himself.

¹³ The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,