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The Holy Bible - God's Word for All Generations

1 Samuel Chapter 8

Other Translations

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 And these [are] the names of his sons; Joel the first-born, and the name of the second Abia, judges in Bersabee.
3 And his sons did not walk in his way; and they turned aside after gain, and took gifts, and perverted judgments.
4 And the men of Israel gather themselves together, and come to Armathaim to Samuel,
5 and they said to him, Behold, thou art grown old, and thy sons walk not in thy way; and now set over us a king to judge us, as also the other nations [have].
6 And the thing [was] evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us: and Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hear the voice of the people, in whatever they shall say to thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me from reigning over them.
8 According to all their doings which they have done to me, from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until this day, even [as] they have deserted me, and served other gods, so they do also to thee.
9 And now hearken to their voice; only thou shalt solemnly testify to them, and thou shalt describe to them the manner of the king who shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel spoke every word of the Lord to the people who asked of him a king.
11 And he said, This shall be the manner of the king that shall rule over you: he shall take your sons, and put them in his chariots, and among his horsemen, and running before his chariots,
12 and [his manner shall be] to make them to himself captains of hundreds and captains of thousands; and to reap his harvest, and gather his vintage, and prepare his instruments of war, and the implements of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and cooks, and bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your good oliveyards, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tithe of your seeds and your vineyards, and give [it] to his eunuchs, and to his servants.
16 And he will take your servants, and your handmaids, and your good herds and your asses, and will take the tenth of them for his works.
17 And he will tithe your flocks; and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye have chosen to yourselves, and the Lord shall not hear you in those days, because ye have chosen to yourselves a king.
19 But the people would not hearken to Samuel; and they said to him, Nay, but there shall be a king over us.
20 And we also will be like all the nations; and our king shall judge us, and shall go out before us, and fight our battles.
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and spoke them in the ears of the Lord.
22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice, and appoint them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Let each man depart to his city.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.
3 His sons didn’t walk in his ways, but turned away after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel to Ramah.
5 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 Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7 The LORD 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 as the king over them.
8 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 they also do to you.
9 Now therefore, listen to their voice. However, you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the king who will reign over them.”
10 Samuel told all the LORD’s words to the people who asked him for a king.
11 He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them as his servants, for his chariots and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots.
12 He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands and captains of fifties; and he will assign 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, to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even your best, and give them to his servants.
15 He will take one tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers and to his servants.
16 He will take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and assign them to his own work.
17 He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants.
18 You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; 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 Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
22 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.” Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Everyone go to your own city.”

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).