¹⁰ So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who were requesting a king from him. ¹¹ He said, “This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and those to do his plowing^[a] and to reap his harvest, and those to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters as his perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young men^[b] and your donkeys and will use them for his projects.^{[c] 17} He will take a tenth of your flocks,^[d] and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸ So you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day!” ¹⁹ However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, “No, but there must be a king over us, ²⁰ so that we also^[e] may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. ²² Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, “Each of you go to his own town.”