---
title: 1 Samuel 8
slug: kjv/1-samuel-8
createdAt: 2024-08-14T01:01:27.025Z
---

**1 **And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. **2 **Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: *they were* judges in Beersheba. **3 **And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

**4 **Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, **5 **And 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. **6 **But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. **7 **And the LORD 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 reign over them. **8 **According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. **9 **Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

**10 **And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. **11 **And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint *them* for himself, for his chariots, and *to be* his horsemen; and *some* shall run before his chariots. **12 **And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and *will set them* to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. **13 **And he will take your daughters *to be* confectionaries, and *to be* cooks, and *to be* bakers. **14 **And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, *even* the best *of them*, and give *them* to his servants. **15 **And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. **16 **And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put *them* to his work. **17 **He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. **18 **And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

**19 **Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; 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 **And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. **22 **And the LORD 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.