A   When Samuel was olde, he made his s&obar;nes iudges ouer Israel. The name of his eldest s&obar;ne was Ioel, ∧ the name of the second Abiath whiche were iudges in Bersabe. Neuerthelesse his sonnes folowed not his steppes: but turned a syde after lucre, ∧ ^note toke rewardes, ∧ peruerted þe; ryght. Then all the elders of Israel gathered th&ebar; together ∧ came to Samuell vnto Ramath, and sayd vnto him: behold thou art olde, ∧ thy s&obar;nes folow not thy wayes. Now therfor make ^note vs a king to iudge vs, as all other nacions haue. But the thyng displeased Samuell, wh&ebar; they sayde: geue vs a kynge to iudge vs. And Samuel prayed vnto the Lorde. B   And the Lord sayd vnto Samuel: heare the voyce of the people in all that they say vnto the. For they haue not cast the awaye, but me: þt; I shulde not raygne ouer th&ebar;. And as they haue euer done (sence I brought th&ebar; out of Egypt vnto thys daye, ∧ haue forsaken me, ∧ serued other Goddes) eu&ebar; so do they vnto the. Now therfor herken vnto theyr voyce, howbeit yet, testifye vnto them, ∧ shew th&ebar; the duty of the kyng that shal raygne ouer th&ebar;. And Samuel tolde al þe; C   wordes of the Lord vnto the people þt; asked a kynge of hym, ∧ he sayde: this shalbe þe; ^note duty of þe; kyng þt; shal raigne ouer you: he wil take your sonnes ∧ put th&ebar; to his charettes ∧ make his horsmen of them, ∧ they must r&ubar;ne before his charet, ∧ wil make him captaines of them ouer thousandes ∧ ouer fyfties, ∧ wil set them to eare hys grounde, ∧ to gather in hys heruest, ∧ to make instrumentes of warre ∧ apparel for hys charettes. And he wyll take your doughters ∧ make th&ebar; the dressers of his ointmentes, ∧ his cookes ∧ bakers. And he shall take the best of youre feldes, ∧ of youre vyneyardes ∧ of your olyue trees, ∧ geue them to hys seruauntes. And he shall take the tenth of your seede ∧ of your vines, ∧ geue it to his lordes, ∧ to his seruauntes. And he shall take the best of your menserua&ubar;tes and maydeserua&ubar;tes ∧ youngmen, D   and of your asses, and do his worke with them. And he shall take the tenthe of youre shepe, ∧ ye shalbe his serua&ubar;tes. And when ye crye out at that time vp&obar; your king, whiche ye shall haue chosen you, the Lorde wyl not heare you at that daye.

Neuerthelesse the people wolde not heare þe; voyce of Samuel, but dyd saye: naye not so: But there shalbe a kyng ouer vs, ∧ we wylbe lyke al other naci&obar;s. And oure kyng shal iudge vs, ∧ go out before vs, ∧ fyght oure battelles. And Samuel hearde all the wordes of the people, and rehersed them in the eares of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel: herk&ebar; vnto theyr voyce, ∧ make th&ebar; a kynge. Then said Samuel vnto the men of Israell: go euery m&abar; vnto hys cytye.

Previous section

Next section