1 Samuel 8

1 Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.

Forsothe it was don, whanne Samuel hadde wexide eld, he settide hise sones iugis on Israel.

2 The name of his first son was Joel and the name of his second Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.

And the name of his firste gendrid sone was Johel, and the name of the secounde was Abia, iugis in Bersabee.

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.

And hise sones yeden not in `the weies of hym, but thei bowiden after aueryce, and thei token yiftis, and peruertiden doom.

4 Then all the responsible men of Israel got together and went to Samuel at Ramah,

Therfor alle the grettere men in birthe of Israel weren gaderid, and camen to Samuel in to Ramatha.

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.

And thei seiden to hym, Lo! thou hast wexid eld, and thi sones goen not in thi weies; ordeyne thou a kyng to vs, `that he deme vs, as also alle naciouns han.

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.

And the word displeside in the iyen of Samuel, for thei hadden seid, Yyue thou to vs a kyng, that he deme vs. And Samuel preiede 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.

Forsothe the Lord seide to Samuel, Here thou the vois of the puple in alle thingis whiche thei speken to thee; for thei han not caste awey thee, but me, that Y regne not on hem.

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.

Bi alle her werkis whiche thei diden, fro the day in whiche Y ledde hem out of Egipt `til to this dai, as thei forsoken me, and seruyden alien goddis, so thei doon also to thee.

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.

Now therfor here thou her vois; netheles witnesse thou to hem; biforseie thou to hem the riyt of the kyng, that schal regne on hem.

10 And Samuel said all these words of the Lord to the people who were desiring a king.

Therfor Samuel seide alle the wordis of the Lord to the puple, that hadde axid of him a king; and he seide,

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;

This schal be the `riyt of the kyng, that schal comaunde to you; he schal take youre sones, and schal sette in hise charis;

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.

and he schal make hem `to hym silf rideris, and biforegoeris of hise cartis; and he schal ordeyne to hym tribunes, `that is, souereyns of a thousynd, and centuriouns, `that is, souereyns of an hundrid, and eereris of hise feeldis, and reperis of cornes, and smythis of hise armeris, and charis.

13 Your daughters he will take to be makers of perfumes and cooks and bread-makers.

Also he schal make youre douytris makeris of `oynementis to hym silf, and fueris, and bakeris.

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.

And he schal take youre feeldis and vyneris and the beste places of olyues, and schal yyue to hise seruauntis.

15 He will take a tenth of your seed and of the fruit of your vines and give it to his servants.

But also he schal take the tenthe part of youre cornes, and rentis of vyneris, that he yyue to his chaumberleyns and seruauntis.

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.

Sotheli he schal take awey youre seruauntis and handmaydes, and beste yong men, and assis, and schal sette in his werk.

17 He will take a tenth of your sheep: and you will be his servants.

Also he schal take the tenthe part of youre flockis, and ye schulen be `seruauntis to hym.

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.

And ye schulen crye in that dai fro the face of youre kyng, whom ye han chose to you; and the Lord schal not here you in that dai; for ye axiden a kyng to you.

19 But the people gave no attention to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but we will have a king over us,

Sotheli the puple nolde here the vois of Samuel, but thei seiden, Nay for a kyng schal be on vs;

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.

and we also schulen be as alle folkis, and oure kyng schal deme vs, and he schal go out bifor vs, and he schal fiyte oure batel for vs.

21 Then Samuel, after hearing all the people had to say, went and gave an account of it to the Lord.

And Samuel herde alle the wordis of the puple, and `spak tho in the eeris of 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.

Forsothe the Lord seide to Samuel, Here thou `the vois of hem, and ordeyne thou a kyng on hem. And Samuel seide to the men of Israel, Ech man go in to his citee.