撒母耳記上 第 8 章

And it came to pass, when Samuel grew old, that he appointed his sons as judges for Israel.

And these are the names of his sons: the firstborn Joel, and the name of the second Abia; they were judges in Bersabee.

And his sons did not walk in his way, but they turned aside after gain, and they took bribes and perverted judgments.

And the men of Israel gather themselves together and come to Armathaim to Samuel.

And they said to him, Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your way; and now appoint over us a king to judge us, like the rest of the nations also.

And the matter was evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

And the Lord said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from reigning over them.

According to all the deeds which they have done to me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, and they forsook me and served other gods, so they are doing to you also.

And now listen to their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them, and you shall declare to them the ordinance of the king who will reign over them.

And Samuel spoke all the word of the Lord to the people, to those who were asking a king from him.

And he said, This shall be the ordinance of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and set them among his chariots and among his horsemen, and to run before his chariots;

and to appoint them for himself as commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and to reap his harvest, and to gather his vintage, and to make his weapons of war and the equipment of his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your good olive groves, and give them to his servants.

And he will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his eunuchs and to his servants.

And he will take your male servants and your female servants and your good herds and your donkeys, and he will take a tenth for his works.

And he will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his servants.

And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you chose for yourselves; and the Lord will not hear you in those days, because you yourselves chose a king for yourselves.

And the people were not willing to listen to Samuel, and they said to him, No, but there shall be a king over us.

And we also shall be like all the nations, and our king shall judge us and shall go out before us and fight our battle.

And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them into the ears of the Lord.

And the Lord said to Samuel, Listen to their voice, and set a king to reign over them. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Let each one go off to his own city.