1 Samuel 8
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When Samuel became old, r he made his sons judges over Israel.
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The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
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Yet his sons did not walk in his ways s but turned aside after gain. t They took bribes and perverted justice.
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Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at p Ramah
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and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. u Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations."
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But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
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And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, v for they have not rejected you, w but they have rejected me from being king over them.
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According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.
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Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them x and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
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So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him.
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He said, y "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: z he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
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And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some a to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
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He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
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b He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
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He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
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He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
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He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
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And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, c but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
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But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us,
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d that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
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And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord.
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And the Lord said to Samuel, e "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 16:18
You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
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Cross References
Exodus 18:21
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
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Cross References
Exodus 23:8
And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
Deuteronomy 16:19
You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
Psalms 15:5
Who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 7:17
Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 8:19 - 20
But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us.
Deuteronomy 17:14
"When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,'
Hosea 13:10
Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities? Where are all your rulers - those of whom you said, "Give me a king and princes"?
Acts 13:21
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
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Cross References
Exodus 16:8
And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him - what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 10:19
But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 8:11 - 18
He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 10:25
Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home.
Deuteronomy 17:16 - 20
Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never return that way again.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 14:52
There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself.
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Cross References
Genesis 45:6
For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
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Cross References
1 Kings 21:7
And Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Ezekiel 46:18
The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their property. He shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people shall be scattered from his property.
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Cross References
Proverbs 1:28
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Micah 3:4
Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 8:5
And said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 8:7
And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
Hosea 13:11
I gave you a king in my anger, and I took him away in my wrath.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.