Samuel & King Saul

And the men of Israel going out of Masphath, pursued after the Philistines, and made slaughter of them till they came under Bethchar.

And Samuel took a stone, and laid it between Masphath and Sen: and he called the place The stone of help. And he said: Thus far the Lord hath helped us.

And the Philistines were humbled, and they did not come any more into the borders of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, all the days of Samuel.

And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel, were restored to Israel, from Accaron to Geth, and their borders: and he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorrhites.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life:

And he went every year about to Bethel and to Galgal and to Masphath, and he judged Israel in the foresaid places.

And he returned to Ramatha: for there was his house, and there he judged Israel: he built also there an altar to the Lord.

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.

Now the name of his firstborn son was Joel: and the name of the second was Abia, judges in Bersabee.

And his sons walked not in his ways: but they turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Then all the ancients of Israel being assembled came to Samuel to Ramatha.

And they said to him: Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: make us a king, to judge us, as all nations have.

And the word was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, that they should say: Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee. For they have not rejected thee, but me, that I should not reign over them.

According to all their works, they have done from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until this day: as they have forsaken me, and served strange gods, so do they also unto thee.

Now, therefore, hearken to their voice: but yet testify to them, and foretell them the right of the king, that shall reign over them.

Then Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people that had desired a king of him,

And said: This will be the right of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and put them in his chariots, and will make them his horsemen, and his running footmen, to run before his chariots,

And he will appoint of them to be his tribunes, and his centurions, and to plough his fields, and to reap his corn, and to make him arms and chariots.

Your daughters also he will take to make him ointments, and to be his cooks, and bakers.

And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best oliveyards, and give them to his servants.

Moreover he will take the tenth of your corn, and of the revenues of your vineyards, to give to his eunuchs and servants.

Your servants also, and handmaids, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, he will take away, and put them to his work.

Your flocks also he will tithe, and you shall be his servants.

And you shall cry out in that day from the face of the king, whom you have chosen to yourselves: and the Lord will not hear you in that day, because you desired unto yourselves a king.