1Sa 8:1-7 | ESV | STEP | When Samuel became old , he made his sons judges over Israel .

a Deut. 16:18

b[Ex. 18:21]

c[Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; Ps. 15:5]

d[See ch. 7:17 above]

e ver. 19, 20; [Deut. 17:14; Hos. 13:10; Acts 13:21]

f[Ex. 16:8]

g ch. 10:19

1 Samuel 8:1-7

Israel Demands a King

1 When Samuel became old, ^ahe made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways ^bbut turned aside after gain. ^cThey took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at ^dRamah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. ^eNow appoint for 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.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, ^ffor they have not rejected you, ^gbut they have rejected me from being king over them.