1 Samuel 8

Israel Wants a King

1 When Samuel got old, he made his two sons the judges over Israel.

2 His firstborn was Joel, and the second was Abijah. They were judging in Beersheba.

3 But these sons were not built like Samuel, they were grimy. They chased money, took bribes, and twisted justice.

The People Demand a King

4 So all the elders of Israel pulled up on Samuel at Ramah.

5 They said, “Look, you old now and your sons are not right. We want you to set up a king for us, just like all the other nations got.”

6 Samuel did not like the idea of them asking for a king, so he prayed to the Lord about it.

7 The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to the people. They are not rejecting you, they rejecting Me from being their King.”

8 “They been doing this since day one, leaving Me and serving fake gods. Now they doing the same thing to you.”

9 “So do what they ask, but warn them real good. Let them know what having a king over them is really going to look like.”

Samuel Lays It Out Straight

10 Samuel told the people everything the Lord said about how it is going to be with a king.

11 He said, “This is what a king is going to do: He will draft your sons into his army, make them drive his chariots, run in front of his rides.”

12 “He will make some of them commanders, others workers for his fields and weapons factories.”

13 “He will take your daughters too, make them bakers, cooks, and perfumers.”

14 “He will snatch your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his boys.”

15 “He will tax your crops heavy, and use it to feed his palace people.”

16 “He will take your servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys, and put them to work for his stuff.”

17 “He will tax you all even on your flocks. And straight up, you will be his slaves.”

18 “When that day comes and you cry out because of the king you chose, the Lord is not going to save you.”

Israel Still Wants a King

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. They said, “Nah! We want a king over us!”

20 “We want to be like everybody else, with a king to judge us and lead us into battle.”

21 Samuel went back and told the Lord everything they said.

22 And the Lord said, “Give them what they want. Set up a king for them.” Then Samuel told the people of Israel, “Go back to your towns, I will handle it.”