⁴ So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.^{(A) 5} They said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.’^(B)

⁶ When they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us,’ Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ But the Lord told him, ‘Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king.^{(C) 8} They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me,^[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshipping other gods. ⁹ Listen to them, but solemnly warn them^(D) and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.’

¹⁰ Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king.

¹⁹ The people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No! ’ they said. ‘We must have a king over us. ²⁰ Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us,^(A) and fight our battles.’

²¹ Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. ²² ‘Listen to them,’ the Lord told Samuel. ‘Appoint a king for them.’^(B)

Then Samuel told the men of Israel, ‘Each of you, go back to your city.’