The People Refuse Samuel’s Words

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

¹⁹ Nevertheless, 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)that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²¹ So Samuel heard all the words of the people, and ^(K)he repeated them in the hearing of Yahweh. ²² Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “^(L)Listen to their voice and ^[e]appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”