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¹ It happened, when Shemu'el was old, that he made his sons judges over Yisra'el. ² Now the name of his firstborn was Yo'el; and the name of his second, Aviyah: they were judges in Be'er-Sheva. ³ His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴ Then all the Zakenim of Yisra'el gathered themselves together, and came to Shemu'el to Ramah; ⁵ and they said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons don't walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. ⁶ But the thing displeased Shemu'el, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. Shemu'el prayed to the LORD. ⁷ The LORD said to Shemu'el, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. ⁸ According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Mitzrayim even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you. ⁹ Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the manner of the king who shall reign over them. ¹⁰ Shemu'el told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked of him a king. ¹¹ He said, This will be the manner of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; ¹² and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and [he will set some] to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. ¹⁴ He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants. ¹⁸ You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not answer you in that day. ¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to the voice of Shemu'el; 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 Shemu'el heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. ²² The LORD said to Shemu'el, Listen to their voice, and make them a king. Shemu'el said to the men of Yisra'el, Go you every man to his city.