1 En toe Samuel oud was, het hy sy seuns as rigters oor Israel aangestel.
2 Die naam van sy eersgeborene was Joël, en die naam van sy tweede Ab¡a, rigters in Bers,ba.
3 Maar sy seuns het nie in sy weë gewandel nie: hulle het onregverdige wins agternageloop en omkoopgeskenke aangeneem en die reg verdraai.
4 Toe kom al die oudstes van Israel bymekaar, en hulle gaan na Samuel in Rama
5 en sê vir hom: Kyk, u is oud, en u seuns wandel nie in u weë nie; stel nou 'n koning oor ons aan om ons te rig soos by al die nasies.
6 Maar die woord was verkeerd in die oë van Samuel toe hulle gesê het: Gee ons 'n koning om ons te rig, en Samuel het tot die HERE gebid.
7 Toe sê die HERE vir Samuel: Luister na die volk in alles wat hulle aan jou sê, want nie jou het hulle verwerp nie, maar My het hulle verwerp om nie koning oor hulle te wees nie.
8 Soos al die werke wat hulle gedoen het, van die dag af dat Ek hulle uit Egipte laat optrek het tot vandag toe, dat hulle My verlaat en ander gode gedien het -- so doen hulle ook met jou.
9 Luister dan nou na hulle: jy moet hulle net ernstig waarsku en hulle die reg van die koning meedeel wat oor hulle sal regeer.
10 Samuel het toe al die woorde van die HERE oorgebring aan die volk wat 'n koning van hom gevra het.
11 En hy het gesê: Dit sal die reg wees van die koning wat oor julle sal regeer: Julle seuns sal hy neem en hulle vir homself aanstel by sy wa en by sy perde, dat hulle voor sy wa uit hardloop;
12 en om hulle vir homself aan te stel as owerstes oor duisend en owerstes oor vyftig, en om sy land te ploeg en om sy oes in te samel, en om sy oorlogswapens en gereedskap vir sy strydwaens te maak.
13 Ook julle dogters sal hy neem as salfmengsters en as kooksters en baksters.
14 En van julle lande en julle wingerde en julle olyfboorde sal hy die beste neem en aan sy dienaars gee.
15 En van julle saailande en julle wingerde sal hy die tiendes neem en dit aan sy hofdienaars en sy dienaars gee.
16 En julle slawe en slavinne en julle beste jongmanne en julle esels sal hy neem en vir sy werk gebruik.
17 Van julle kleinvee sal hy die tiendes neem, en self sal julle sy slawe wees.
18 En in die dag sal julle roep vanweë jul koning wat julle vir jul verkies het, en die HERE sal julle in die dag nie verhoor nie.
19 Maar die volk het geweier om na Samuel te luister en gesê: Nee, maar daar moet 'n koning oor ons wees,
20 dat ons ook kan wees soos al die nasies -- dat ons koning ons kan rig en voor ons uit trek en ons oorloë voer.
21 En Samuel het al die woorde van die volk aangehoor en dit voor die ore van die HERE uitgespreek.
22 Toe sê die HERE vir Samuel: Luister na hulle en stel 'n koning oor hulle aan. En Samuel het vir die manne van Israel gesê: Gaan heen, elkeen na sy stad.
1 Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The name of his first son was Joel and the name of his second Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.
3 And his sons did not go in his ways, but moved by the love of money took rewards, and were not upright in judging.
4 Then all the responsible men of Israel got together and went to Samuel at Ramah,
5 And said to him, See now, you are old, and your sons do not go in your ways: give us a king now to be our judge, so that we may be like the other nations.
6 But Samuel was not pleased when they said to him, Give us a king to be our judge. And Samuel made prayer to the Lord.
7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to the voice of the people and what they say to you: they have not been turned away from you, but they have been turned away from me, not desiring me to be king over them.
8 As they have done from the first, from the day when I took them out of Egypt till this day, turning away from me and worshipping other gods, so now they are acting in the same way to you.
9 Give ear now to their voice: but make a serious protest to them, and give them a picture of the sort of king who will be their ruler.
10 And Samuel said all these words of the Lord to the people who were desiring a king.
11 And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages;
12 And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages.
13 Your daughters he will take to be makers of perfumes and cooks and bread-makers.
14 He will take your fields and your vine-gardens and your olive-gardens, all the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15 He will take a tenth of your seed and of the fruit of your vines and give it to his servants.
16 He will take your men-servants and your servant-girls, and the best of your oxen and your asses and put them to his work.
17 He will take a tenth of your sheep: and you will be his servants.
18 Then you will be crying out because of your king whom you have taken for yourselves; but the Lord will not give you an answer in that day.
19 But the people gave no attention to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but we will have a king over us,
20 So that we may be like the other nations, and so that our king may be our judge and go out before us to war.
21 Then Samuel, after hearing all the people had to say, went and gave an account of it to the Lord.
22 And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to their voice and make a king for them. Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, Let every man go back to his town.