But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.
So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you:
He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.1
He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.2
He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.3
And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.4
He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.5
And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.6
He will take a tenth of your sheep.7 And you will be his servants.8
And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations8, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”
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1 Obama Calls for US Military Draft
2 Biden Warns World Will ‘Test’ Obama
3 Shhh… Don’t Call Obama’s National Service Scheme a ‘Draft’
4 State Pork to Obama’s District Included Allies, Donors
5 Cronyism We Can Believe In
6 Obama: Boost National Service
7 Obama’s Payroll Tax Increase Affects Earners, Not ‘Wealthy’
8 Obama "plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year."
9 World Opinion on U.S. Election Leans Obama