1st Samuel 8

CHAPTER 8

1And it was done, when Samuel waxed eld [or old], he set [or put] his sons to be judges of Israel.

2And the name of his first begotten son was Joel, and the name of the second was Abiah, that were judges in Beersheba.

3And his sons went not in his ways, but they bowed after avarice, and they took gifts, and perverted doom.

4Therefore all the greater men in birth of Israel were gathered together, and came to Samuel into Ramah.

5And they said to him, Lo! thou hast waxed eld [or old], and thy sons go not in thy ways; ordain thou a king to us, that he deem us, as also all other nations have.

6And the word displeased in the eyes of Samuel, for they had said, Give thou to us a king, that he deem us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

7And the Lord said to Samuel, Hear thou the voice of the people in all things that they speak to thee; for they have not cast away thee, but me, that I reign not upon them.

8By all the works that they have done, from the day in which I led them out of Egypt unto this day, as they have forsaken me, and they have served alien gods, so they do also to thee.

9Now therefore hear thou their voice; nevertheless witness thou to them; and before-say thou to them the right of the king, that shall reign upon them.

10Then Samuel said all the words of the Lord to the people, that had asked of him a king;

11and he said, This shall be the right of the king, that shall command to you; he shall take your sons, and he shall set them in his chariots; and he shall make them to himself riders, and before-goers of his carts;

12and he shall ordain to him tribunes, that is, sovereigns of a thousand, and centurions, that is, sovereigns of an hundred, and earers or tillers of his fields, and reapers of his corns, and smiths of his arms, and of his chariots.

13Also he shall make your daughters to be makers of his ointments, and his fire-makers, and bakers or his makers of bread.

14And he shall take your fields, and your vineries [or vines], and the best places of olives, and he shall give those to his servants.

15But also he shall take the tenth part of your corns, and the rents of your vineries [or vines], that he give those to his chamberlains, and [to his] servants.

16And he shall take away your servants, and your handmaids, and your best young men, and your asses, and he shall set [or put] these in his work.

17Also he shall take the tenth part of your flocks; and ye shall be his servants.

18And ye shall cry in that day from the face of your king, whom ye have chosen to you; and the Lord shall not hear you in that day; for ye [have] asked for a king to you.

19Soothly the people would not hear the voice of Samuel, but they said, Nay, for a king shall be on us;

20and we also shall be as all folks, and our king shall deem us, and he shall go out before us, and he shall fight our battles for us.

21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spake them in the ears of the Lord.

22And the Lord said to Samuel, Hear thou their voices, and ordain thou a king upon them. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Each man go into his city.

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1st Samuel 8: WBMS

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