| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. | 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, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. | 2Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. |
| 3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. | 3But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. |
| 4Then 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. |
| 5and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” | 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 the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. | 6Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the LORD for guidance. |
| 7And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. | 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. |
| 8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. | 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 therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” | 9Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” Samuel Warns against a Kingdom |
| 10So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. | 10So Samuel passed on the LORD’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. |
| 11And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before 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. |
| 12He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his 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, cooks, and bakers. | 13The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. |
| 14And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. | 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 your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. | 15He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. |
| 16And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. | 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 sheep. And you will be his servants. | 17He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. |
| 18And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear 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.” |
| 19Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, | 19But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. |
| 20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and 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.” |
| 21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. | 21So Samuel repeated to the LORD what the people had said, |
| 22So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.” | 22and the LORD replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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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