1 Samuel 8:10–20

¹⁰So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who were requesting a king from him. ¹¹He said, “This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. ¹²He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and those to do his plowing^d and to reap his harvest, and those to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³He will take your daughters as his perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. ¹⁴He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give them to his servants. ¹⁵He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants. ¹⁶He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young men^e and your donkeys and will use them for his projects.^{f 17}He will take a tenth of your flocks,^g and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸So you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day!” ¹⁹However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, “No, but there must be a king over us, ²⁰so that we also^h may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.”