Israel Asks for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges in Israel. Their names were Joel and Abijah, and they judged in Beersheba. But they did not live as Samuel had lived. They chased dishonest gain, accepted bribes, and twisted justice.

So the elders of Israel gathered and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said that Samuel was old and that his sons did not walk in his ways. Then they asked for a king to judge them, so they could be like the other nations.

Samuel was displeased by this request, so he prayed to the Lord. The Lord told Samuel to listen to the people, because they were not only rejecting Samuel. They were rejecting the Lord as their king, just as they had turned away from him before.

The Lord told Samuel to listen, but also to warn the people clearly. Samuel said that a king would take their sons for his service and their daughters for his work. He would take fields, vineyards, olive groves, servants, animals, and a tenth of their crops and flocks. They would become his servants, and when they cried out because of that king, the Lord would not answer them then.

But the people refused to listen. They said they still wanted a king, so they could be like the nations around them, and so their king could judge them, go out before them, and fight their battles. Samuel brought their words before the Lord. Then the Lord told Samuel to listen to them and make them a king. Samuel sent the men of Israel back to their own cities.