Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges in Israel.
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It happened, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The older son was named Joel and the younger one Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
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Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3 But they did not follow their father's example; they were interested only in making money, so they accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly.
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His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.
4 Then all the leaders of Israel met together, went to Samuel in Ramah,
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Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah;
5 and said to him, "Look, you are getting old and your sons don't follow your example. So then, appoint a king to rule over us, so that we will have a king, as other countries have."
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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 Samuel was displeased with their request for a king; so he prayed to the Lord,
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But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
7 and the Lord said, "Listen to everything the people say to you. You are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king.
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Yahweh said to Samuel, 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 Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have turned away from me and worshiped other gods; and now they are doing to you what they have always done to me.
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According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you.
9 So then, listen to them, but give them strict warnings and explain how their kings will treat them."
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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 Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king everything that the Lord had said to him.
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Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of him a king.
11 "This is how your king will treat you," Samuel explained. "He will make soldiers of your sons; some of them will serve in his war chariots, others in his cavalry, and others will run before his chariots.
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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 He will make some of them officers in charge of a thousand men, and others in charge of fifty men. Your sons will have to plow his fields, harvest his crops, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.
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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 Your daughters will have to make perfumes for him and work as his cooks and his bakers.
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He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials.
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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 a tenth of your grain and of your grapes for his court officers and other officials.
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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 servants and your best cattle and donkeys, and make them work for him.
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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 a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will become his slaves.
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He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.
18 When that time comes, you will complain bitterly because of your king, whom you yourselves chose, but the Lord will not listen to your complaints."
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You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.
19 The people paid no attention to Samuel, but said, "No! We want a king,
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But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No: but we will have a king over us,
20 so that we will be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles."
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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 Samuel listened to everything they said and then went and told it to the Lord.
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Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh.
22 The Lord answered, "Do what they want and give them a king." Then Samuel told all the men of Israel to go back home.
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Yahweh said to Samuel, Listen to their voice, and make them a king. Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go you every man to his city.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.