Israel’s Demand for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.(A) His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba.(B) However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.(C)

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.(D) 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)

When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 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) 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. 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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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 8:8 LXX; MT omits to Me

Israel Demands a King

When Samuel became old, he appointed his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. His sons did not follow Samuel’s example.[a] Instead, they pursued[b] dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.[c]

All the elders of Israel gathered together, and came to Samuel at Ramah. 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.” Samuel was displeased[f] when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord.

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. 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. 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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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 8:3 Lit. not walk in his ways
  2. 1 Samuel 8:3 Lit. turned after
  3. 1 Samuel 8:3 Lit. caused justice to be turned aside
  4. 1 Samuel 8:5 Lit. not walk in his ways
  5. 1 Samuel 8:5 The Heb. lacks other
  6. 1 Samuel 8:6 Lit. the thing was bad in the eyes of
  7. 1 Samuel 8:7 Lit. the voice of the people
  8. 1 Samuel 8:9 Lit. the practice of the king