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1 Samuel 8:19–22

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 dthat we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 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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1 Samuel 8:19–22 — The New International Version (NIV)

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — King James Version (KJV 1900)

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 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. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — New Living Translation (NLT)

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

21 So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, 22 and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — The New King James Version (NKJV)

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 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.”

21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So 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.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — New Century Version (NCV)

19 But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, “No! We want a king to rule over us. 20 Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will judge for us and go with us and fight our battles.”

21 After Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated their words to the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “You must listen to them. Give them a king.”

Then Samuel told the people of Israel, “Go back to your towns.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — American Standard Version (ASV)

19 But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay: but we will have a king over us, 20 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. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Jehovah. 22 And Jehovah said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)

19 And the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations; and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and conduct our wars. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of Jehovah. 22 And Jehovah said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go ye every man to his city.

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. They said, “No, we want a king! 20 Then we, too, will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us, lead us out ⸤to war⸥, and fight our battles.” 

21 When Samuel heard everything the people had to say, he reported it privately to the Lord. 22 The Lord told him, “Listen to them, and give them a king.” 

Then Samuel told the people of Israel, “Go ⸤back⸥ to your own cities.” 

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”

21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. 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.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the people of Israel, “Each of you return home.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)

19 However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, “No, but there must be a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, “Each of you go to his own town.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)

19 In spite of what Samuel said, the people refused to listen to him. “No!” they said. “We want a king to rule over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all of the other nations. We’ll have a king to lead us. He’ll go out at the head of our armies and fight our battles.”

21 Samuel heard everything the people said. He told the Lord about it. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them. Give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Each of you go back to your own town.”

1 Samuel 8:19–22 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)

19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,

20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing.

22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”


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