¹And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as Israel's judges. ²And the name of his elder son was Joel, and the name of his second one was Abijah, and they were judges in Beersheba. ³But his sons did not walk in his way, and they turned aside after unjust gain, and they accepted bribes, and they perverted the course of justice. ⁴And all the elders of Israel gathered and came to Samuel in Ramah. ⁵And they said to him, “Look, you are old, but your sons don't walk in your ways. Now then, appoint us a king to judge us like all the Gentiles.” ⁶But the matter was wrong in Samuel's sight, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the people – everything they say to you – for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me reigning over them, ⁸like all their deeds which they have perpetrated from the day when I brought them up out of Egypt up to this day, and they have abandoned me and served other gods, and so they are doing to you too. ⁹So now, heed them, but nevertheless testify solemnly against them, and tell them about the administration of the king who will reign over them.” ¹⁰And Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹And he said, “This will be the administration of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them in his interest in his chariot fleet and his cavalry, and some of them will run before his chariot fleet. ¹²And he will appoint himself commanders of a thousand and commanders of fifty, and men to plough his fields and to reap his harvest and to make his armaments and his chariot equipment. ¹³And he will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴And he will take your best fields and vineyards and olive groves, and he will give them to his servants. ¹⁵And he will tithe your seed and your vineyards and give them to his courtiers and his servants. ¹⁶And he will take your menservants and your maidservants and your best young men, and your donkeys, and he will engage them in his work. ¹⁷He will tithe your sheep, and you will become his servants. ¹⁸And you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you chose for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.” ¹⁹But the people refused to heed Samuel, and they said, “No, on the contrary, we will have a king over us. ²⁰And we too will be like all the Gentiles, and our king will judge us, and he will go out before us and fight our wars.” ²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them in the audience of the Lord. ²²And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed them and appoint them a king.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Depart, each of you, to your city.”