¹ And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.

² Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abiah; [they were] judges in Beersheba.

³ And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after greed, receiving bribes and perverting [that which is] right.

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel in Ramah

⁵ and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons do not walk in thy ways; therefore make us a king to judge us like all the Gentiles.

⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

⁷ And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them.

⁸ According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, with which they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they also do unto thee.

⁹ Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice; however [first] protest solemnly against them by declaring unto them the rights of the king that shall reign over them.

¹⁰ And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked him for a king.

¹¹ And he said, This will be the right of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint [them] for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen, and [some] shall run before his chariot.

¹² And he will appoint captains over thousands and captains over fifties and [will set them] to plough his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and the munitions of his chariots.

¹³ And he will take your daughters [to be] confectioneries and [to be] cooks and [to be] bakers.

¹⁴ And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your good oliveyards and give [them] to his servants.

¹⁵ And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards to give to his officers and to his servants.

¹⁶ And he will take your menservants and your maidservants and your good young men and your asses and do his work with them.

¹⁷ He will also take the tenth of your sheep, and [finally] ye shall be his servants.

¹⁸ And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

¹⁹ Nevertheless, the people refused to hear the voice of Samuel, and they said, No, but we will have a king over us

²⁰ that we also may be like all the Gentiles and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.

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

²² And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and place a king over them. Then Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go each one unto his city.: