¹⁰ So Samuel spoke all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot. ¹² He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties,^[a] as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his own servants. ¹⁵ He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators^[b] and his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use. ¹⁷ He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants. ¹⁸ In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.”^[c]

¹⁹ But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning.^[d] Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us! ²⁰ We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us^[e] and fight our battles.”

²¹ So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the Lord.^{[f] 22} The Lord said to Samuel, “Do as they say^[g] and install a king over them.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Each of you go back to his own city.”