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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>1 Samuel 8</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/bsb/spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_samuel/8.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc//1_samuel/8-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="/1_samuel/">1 Samuel</a> > 1 Samuel 8</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_samuel/7.htm" title="1 Samuel 7">◄</a> 1 Samuel 8 <a href="../1_samuel/9.htm" title="1 Samuel 9">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div align="center" id="jump2"><a href="/niv/1_samuel/8.htm">NIV</a> • <a href="/nlt/1_samuel/8.htm">NLT</a> • <a href="/esv/1_samuel/8.htm">ESV</a> • <a href="/kjv/1_samuel/8.htm">KJV</a> • <a href="/nkjv/1_samuel/8.htm">NKJ</a> • <a href="/nasb/1_samuel/8.htm">NAS</a></div><br /><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="1%" valign="top">BSB</td><td width="99%" valign="top" align="right"><a href="/parallel/1_samuel/8.htm" style="font-weight:normal" title="Parallel Chapters">Parallel Chapters ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><A name="2"></a><p class="hdg">Israel Demands a King<br /><span class="cross">(<a href ="../deuteronomy/17.htm#14">Deuteronomy 17:14–20</a>)</span><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">a</a></span> over Israel. <A name="3"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. <A name="4"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice. <A name="5"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. <A name="6"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>“Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.” <A name="7"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. <A name="8"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. <A name="9"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. <A name="10"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Now listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.” <A name="11"></a><p class="hdg">Samuel’s Warning<p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. <A name="12"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots. <A name="13"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots. <A name="14"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. <A name="15"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. <A name="16"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. <A name="17"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle<span class="fn"><a href="#fn">b</a></span> and donkeys and put them to his own use. <A name="18"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. <A name="19"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.” <A name="20"></a><p class="hdg">God Grants the Request<p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. <A name="21"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.” <A name="22"></a><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/1_samuel/8-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>“Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” <p class="reg"> Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”</p><A name="fn"></a><div id="fnlink"><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:</b><br><br><span class="fnverse">1</span> <span class="footnotesbot">a</span> Or <i>governors</i><span class="thin"> </span> or <i>leaders</i><span class="thin"> </span>; similarly in verses 2, 5, 6, and 20<br><span class="fnverse">16</span> <span class="footnotesbot">b</span> LXX; Hebrew <i>your best young men</i><span class="thin"> </span><br><br /></div><br /></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Berean Bible (<a href=http://berean.bible>www.Berean.Bible</a>) <a href=http://bereanbible.com>Berean Study Bible (BSB)</a> © 2016, 2020 by <a href=http://biblehub.com>Bible Hub</a> and <a href=http://berean.bible>Berean.Bible</a>. 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