| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel's leaders. | 1As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. |
| 2The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. | 2Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. |
| 3But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. | 3But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. |
| 4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. | 4Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. |
| 5They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." | 5“Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” |
| 6But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. | 6Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the LORD for guidance. |
| 7And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. | 7“Do everything they say to you,” the LORD replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. |
| 8As 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. | 8Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. |
| 9Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights." | 9Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” Samuel Warns against a Kingdom |
| 10Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. | 10So Samuel passed on the LORD’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. |
| 11He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. | 11“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. |
| 12Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. | 12Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. |
| 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. | 13The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. |
| 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. | 14He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. |
| 15He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. | 15He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. |
| 16Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. | 16He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. |
| 17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. | 17He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. |
| 18When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." | 18When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you.” |
| 19But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. | 19But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. |
| 20Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." | 20“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” |
| 21When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. | 21So Samuel repeated to the LORD what the people had said, |
| 22The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the Israelites, "Everyone go back to your own town." | 22and the LORD replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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