| New Living Translation | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. | 1When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. |
| 2Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. | 2His firstborn son's name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. |
| 3But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. | 3However, his sons did not walk in his ways--they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice. |
| 4Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. | 4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. |
| 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.” | 5They said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have." |
| 6Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the LORD for guidance. | 6When they said, "Give us a king to judge us," Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the LORD. |
| 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. | 7But the LORD told him, "Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. |
| 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. | 8They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods. |
| 9Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” Samuel Warns against a Kingdom | 9Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them." |
| 10So Samuel passed on the LORD’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. | 10Samuel told all the LORD's words to the people who were asking him for a king. |
| 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. | 11He said, "These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of 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. | 12He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. |
| 13The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. | 13He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. |
| 14He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. | 14He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. |
| 15He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. | 15He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. |
| 16He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. | 16He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys and use them for his work. |
| 17He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. | 17He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. |
| 18When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you.” | 18When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you've chosen for yourselves, but the LORD won't answer you on that day." |
| 19But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. | 19The people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We must have a king over us. |
| 20“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” | 20Then we'll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles." |
| 21So Samuel repeated to the LORD what the people had said, | 21Samuel listened to all the people's words and then repeated them to the LORD. |
| 22and the LORD replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. | 22"Listen to them," the LORD told Samuel. "Appoint a king for them." Then Samuel told the men of Israel, "Each of you, go back to your city." |
| 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. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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