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Abayisirayiri Basaba Kabaka

(A)Samwiri bwe yakaddiwa, n’alonda batabani be okuba abalamuzi ba Isirayiri. (B)Erinnya lya mutabani we omukulu ye yali Yoweeri, n’owokubiri nga ye Abiya, ne balamulanga mu Beeruseba. (C)Naye batabani be ne batagoberera mpisa ze, ne bakyama ne banoonya amagoba, ne balya enguzi, era nga tebalamula mu bwenkanya.

(D)Awo abakadde bonna aba Isirayiri ne bakuŋŋaana ne bajja eri Samwiri e Laama, (E)ne bamugamba nti, “Laba, okaddiye ne batabani bo tebagoberera mpisa zo, kaakano tulondere kabaka anaatukulemberanga, tubeere ng’amawanga amalala gonna.”

(F)Naye bwe baayogera nti, “Tuwe kabaka anaatukulemberanga,” ne kitasanyusa Samwiri. Samwiri n’asaba eri Mukama. (G)Awo Mukama n’agamba Samwiri nti, “Wuliriza ebigambo byonna abantu bye bakugamba. Tebajeemedde ggwe, naye bajeemedde nze nneme kuba kabaka waabwe. Okusinziira ku bikolwa byabwe okuva ku lunaku lwe nabaggya mu Misiri okutuusa ku lunaku lwa leero, bwe banjeemera, ne baweereza bakatonda abalala, nawe bwe batyo bwe bakuyisa. (H)Kaakano bawulirize, naye obalabulire ddala, era obategeeze ebintu byonna kabaka anaabafuga by’alibakola.”

10 Awo Samwiri n’ategeeza abantu abaali bamusaba kabaka, ebigambo byonna Mukama bye yamugamba. 11 (I)N’abagamba nti, “Bino bye bintu kabaka alibafuga by’alibakola: alitwala batabani bammwe n’abafuula abagoba ab’amagaali ge n’abeebagazi ab’embalaasi ze, n’abamu okuddukiranga mu maaso ag’amagaali ge. 12 (J)Abamu ku bo alibafuula abaduumizi b’enkumi, n’abalala n’abafuula abaduumizi b’ataano, n’abalala okumulimiranga ennimiro ze n’okuzikungulanga, n’abalala okuweesanga ebyokulwanyisa n’ebintu eby’amagaali ge. 13 Alitwala bawala bammwe, okumuteekerateekera ebyakaloosa, n’okumufumbiranga, n’okumukoleranga emigaati. 14 (K)Alitwala ennimiro zammwe ennungi, n’ennimiro zammwe ez’emizabbibu n’ez’emizeeyituuni, n’aziwa abaweereza be. 15 Alitwala ekimu eky’ekkumi eky’emmere yammwe ey’empeke, n’eky’ennimiro zammwe ez’emizabbibu, n’akigabira abakungu be n’abaweereza be. 16 Alitwala abaweereza bammwe abasajja n’abaweereza bammwe abakazi, n’abavubuka bammwe abasinga obulungi n’endogoyi, n’abyeddiza. 17 Alitwala ekimu eky’ekkumi ku bisibo byammwe, mmwe n’abafuula abaweereza be. 18 (L)Luliba lumu, mulyekkokkola kabaka wammwe gwe mwerondera, naye Mukama talibafaako ku lunaku olwo.”

19 (M)Naye abantu ne bagaana okuwuliriza Samwiri, ne boogera nti, “Nedda! Twagala kabaka okutufuga, 20 (N)naffe tubeere ng’amawanga amalala gonna, nga tulina kabaka atufuga ayinza okutukulembera n’atulwanira entalo zaffe.”

21 (O)Awo Samwiri bwe yawulira ebigambo byonna eby’abantu, n’abiddiramu Mukama. 22 (P)Mukama n’addamu Samwiri nti, “Bawulirize obalondere kabaka.”

Awo Samwiri n’agamba abantu ba Isirayiri nti, “Buli omu ku mmwe addeyo ewuwe.”

Israel Requests a King

As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” 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.”

Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do 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. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

Samuel Warns against a Kingdom

10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 “This 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. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army,[a] some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle[b] and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

21 So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, 22 and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

Footnotes

  1. 8:12 Hebrew commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties.
  2. 8:16 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads young men.