1 When Samuel was nowe become olde, he made his sonnes Iudges ouer Israel. 2 (And the name of his eldest sonne was Ioel, and the name of the second Abiah) euen Iudges in Beer-sheba. 3 And his sonnes walked not in his wayes, but turned aside after lucre, and tooke rewards, and peruerted the iudgement. 4 Wherefore all the Elders of Israel gathered them together, and came to Samuel vnto Ramah, 5 And said vnto him, Beholde, thou art olde, and thy sonnes walke not in thy wayes: make vs nowe a King to iudge vs like all nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Giue vs a King to iudge vs: and Samuel prayed vnto the Lord. 7 And the Lord said vnto Samuel, Heare the voyce of the people in all that they shall say vnto thee: for they haue not cast thee away, but they haue cast me away, that I should not reigne ouer the. 8 As they haue euer done since I brought them out of Egypt euen vnto this day, (and haue forsaken me, and serued other gods) euen so doe they vnto thee. 9 Nowe therefore hearken vnto their voyce: howbeit yet testifie vnto them, and shewe them the maner of ye King that shall reigne ouer them. 10 So Samuel told all the wordes of the Lord vnto the people that asked a King of him. 11 And he saide, This shall be the maner of the King that shall reigne ouer you: he will take your sonnes, and appoint them to his charets, and to be his horsemen, and some shall runne before his charet. 12 Also he will make them his captaines ouer thousands, and captaines ouer fifties, and to eare his ground, and to reape his haruest, and to make instruments of warre, and the thinges that serue for his charets. 13 He will also take your daughters and make them apoticaries, and cookes, and bakers. 14 And he will take your fieldes, and your vineyardes, and your best Oliue trees, and giue them to his seruants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seede, and of your vineyards, and giue it to his Eunuches, and to his seruants. 16 And he will take your men seruants, and your maide seruants, and the chiefe of your yong men, and your asses, and put them to his worke. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheepe, and ye shall be his seruants. 18 And ye shall crie out at that day, because of your King, whom ye haue chosen you, and the Lord will not heare you at that day. 19 But the people would not heare the voyce of Samuel, but did say, Nay, but there shall be a King ouer vs. 20 And we also will be like all other nations, and our King shall iudge vs, and goe out before vs, and fight our battels. 21 Therefore when Samuel heard all ye wordes of ye people, he rehearsed the in ye eares of ye Lord. 22 And the Lord saide to Samuel, Hearken vnto their voyce, and make them a King. And Samuel said vnto the men of Israel, Goe euery man vnto his citie.
1 Samuel · Geneva Bible (1599)
1 Samuel 8 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abijah
Samuel's second son, appointed with his brother Joel as a judge at Beersheba, who took bribes and perverted justice.
Cited in the guide: 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 6:28
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Deuteronomy 16:18–19; 1 Timothy 5:21; Judges 8:22–23; Nehemiah 7:2; Judges 12:14
- 2 Genesis 22:19; 1 Chronicles 6:28; Amos 5:5; 1 Chronicles 6:38; 1 Kings 19:3
- 3 Deuteronomy 16:19; 1 Timothy 6:10; Psalm 15:5; Exodus 18:21; Exodus 23:8
- 4 2 Samuel 5:3; 1 Samuel 7:17; Exodus 24:1; Exodus 3:16
- 5 Deuteronomy 17:14–15; 1 Samuel 8:19–20; 1 Samuel 8:6–8; Hosea 13:10–11; Numbers 23:9
- 6 1 Samuel 15:11; James 1:5; 1 Samuel 12:17; Exodus 32:21; Numbers 16:46
- 7 Luke 10:16; 1 Samuel 10:19; Exodus 16:8; Hosea 13:10–11; Luke 19:14
- 8 Exodus 32:1; Psalm 106:34–40; Judges 6:1; Numbers 14:2–4; Acts 7:51–53
- 9 1 Samuel 10:25; 1 Samuel 8:11–18; Ezekiel 46:18; Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 45:7–8
- 11 1 Samuel 14:52; 1 Samuel 10:25; 2 Samuel 15:1; Deuteronomy 17:14–20; 1 Kings 10:26
- 12 2 Chronicles 32:28–29; 1 Kings 4:27–28; 1 Kings 4:7; 1 Kings 4:22–23; 1 Samuel 22:7
- 14 Ezekiel 46:18; 1 Kings 21:7; 1 Samuel 22:7; 1 Kings 21:19
- 15 Daniel 1:7–10; Isaiah 39:7; Genesis 37:36; Daniel 1:3; Daniel 1:18
- 18 Micah 3:4; Proverbs 1:25–28; Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 8:21; Proverbs 21:13
- 19 Jeremiah 44:16; Ezekiel 33:31; Isaiah 66:4; Jeremiah 7:13; Psalm 81:11
- 20 1 Samuel 8:5; Exodus 33:16; Psalm 106:35; Leviticus 20:24–26; Deuteronomy 7:6
- 21 Judges 11:11
- 22 1 Samuel 8:7; Hosea 13:11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Samuel also died a holy old man, leaving his sons as his successors. I seek for the punishment inflicted upon them, and according to men I find it not: but according to what I know the servants of God suffer every day, they were day by day punished.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)