Devine Scripture
1 Samuel 8

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1 Samuel 8

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1And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

2Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.

3And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

4Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah;

5and they said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

6But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto Jehovah.

7And Jehovah said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them.

8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

9Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10And Samuel told all the words of Jehovah unto the people that asked of him a king.

11And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;

12and he will appoint them unto 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.

13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

16And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.

17He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants.

18And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day.

19But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay: but we will have a king over us,

20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

21And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Jehovah.

22And Jehovah said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

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Parallel translations · 1 Samuel 8:1

WEB · World English Bible (2000)

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

KJV · King James Version (1611)

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

ASV · American Standard Version (1901)

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

BBE · Bible in Basic English (1949)

Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.

YLT · Young's Literal Translation (1862)

And it cometh to pass, when Samuel <FI>is<Fi> aged, that he maketh his sons judges over Israel.

DRA · Douay-Rheims (Challoner) (1752)

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.

DBY · Darby Bible (1890)

And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

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Key cross-references

From the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — verses that illuminate 1 Samuel 8:1.

  • Deuteronomy 16:18

    Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

  • Nehemiah 7:2

    that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.

  • Judges 12:14

    And he had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.

  • 1 Timothy 5:21

    I charge thee in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.

  • 2 Chronicles 19:5

    And he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

  • Judges 10:4

    And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

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1 Samuel 9 →

"Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor."