1 Samuel 8:15-20

New English Translation

¹⁵ He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators^[a] 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.”^[b]

¹⁹ But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning.^[c] 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^[d] and fight our battles.”