1 Samuel 8:10-22
World English Bible
10 Samuel told all Yahweh’s words to the people who asked him for a king. 11 He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them as his servants, for his chariots and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest; and to make his instruments of war and the instruments of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even your best, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take one tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and assign them to his own work. 17 He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants. 18 You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.”
Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Everyone go to your own city.”
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1 Samuel 8:10-22
International Standard Version
10 Samuel reported everything the Lord told him to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is how the king who rules over you will operate: He will conscript your sons and assign them[a] to his chariots. He will conscript them[b] as his horsemen, and they’ll run in front of his chariots. 12 He will appoint his officers over thousands and officers over fifties—some will plow his fields,[c] reap his harvest, and craft his war implements and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters for perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take the best products of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves and give them to his servants.[d] 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his officers and servants.[e] 16 He will take your male and female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys to do his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your flock, and you will become his servants. 18 When all of this comes about, you will cry out because of your king whom you chose for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you at that time.”
19 The people refused to listen to Samuel.[f] Instead, they insisted, “No! Let a king rule over us instead! 20 We, too, will be like all the nations! Our king will govern us and go out before us to fight our battles.”
21 So Samuel listened to all the words of the people, and he repeated them directly to[g] the Lord. 22 The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to them, and appoint a king for them.”
Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you go to his own town.”
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- 1 Samuel 8:11 Lit. them for himself
- 1 Samuel 8:11 The Heb. lacks conscripting them
- 1 Samuel 8:12 Lit. and to plow his plowing
- 1 Samuel 8:14 Or officials
- 1 Samuel 8:15 Or officials
- 1 Samuel 8:19 Lit. to the voice of Samuel
- 1 Samuel 8:21 Lit. them in the ears of
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