1 Samuel 8:1–9
8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. q 2 His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. r 3 However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. s
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. t 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” u
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. 7 But 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. v 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, w since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. 9 Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them x and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”