1 Samuel 8:1-9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Israel’s Demand for a King
8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.(A) 2 His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba.(B) 3 However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.(C)
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.(D) 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”(E)
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.(F) 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me,[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. 9 Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them(G) and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
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- 1 Samuel 8:8 LXX; MT omits to Me
1 Samuel 8:1-9
International Standard Version
Israel Demands a King
8 When Samuel became old, he appointed his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 His sons did not follow Samuel’s example.[a] Instead, they pursued[b] dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.[c]
4 All the elders of Israel gathered together, and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They told him, “Look, you’re old, and your sons don’t follow your example.[d] So appoint a king to govern us like all the other[e] nations.” 6 Samuel was displeased[f] when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7 The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to the people[g] in all that they say to you. In fact, it’s not you they have rejected, but rather they have rejected me from being their king. 8 Like all the things they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this very day, they have forsaken me and followed other gods. They’re also doing the same thing to you. 9 Now, listen to them, but you are to clearly warn them and inform them about how the king who rules over them will operate.”[h]
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- 1 Samuel 8:3 Lit. not walk in his ways
- 1 Samuel 8:3 Lit. turned after
- 1 Samuel 8:3 Lit. caused justice to be turned aside
- 1 Samuel 8:5 Lit. not walk in his ways
- 1 Samuel 8:5 The Heb. lacks other
- 1 Samuel 8:6 Lit. the thing was bad in the eyes of
- 1 Samuel 8:7 Lit. the voice of the people
- 1 Samuel 8:9 Lit. the practice of the king
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