²³ But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; ^(A)the Lord shall rule over you.”

¹² And when you saw that ^(A)Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, ^(B)you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when ^(C)the Lord your God was your king.

^19 (A)But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your ^[a]clans.”

³ nor as ^(A)being ^[a]lords over ^(B)those entrusted to you, but ^(C)being examples to the flock;

²⁴ Not ^(A)that we ^[a]have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for ^(B)by faith you stand.

The Disciples Argue About Greatness

^24 (A)Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. ^25 (B)And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ^26 (C)But not so among you; on the contrary, ^(D)he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. ^27 (E)For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet ^(F)I am among you as the One who serves.

⁶ But the thing ^(A)displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel ^(B)prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for ^(C)they have not rejected you, but ^(D)they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.