₄Then all the leaders of Israel met together, went to Samuel in Ramah, ₅and said to him, “Look, you are getting old and your sons don't follow your example. So then, appoint a king to rule over us, so that we will have a king, as other countries have.” ₆Samuel was displeased with their request for a king; so he prayed to the LORD, ₇and the LORD said, “Listen to everything the people say to you. You are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king. ₈Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have turned away from me and worshipped other gods; and now they are doing to you what they have always done to me. ₉So then, listen to them, but give them strict warnings and explain how their kings will treat them.”

₁₀Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king everything that the LORD had said to him. ₁₁“This is how your king will treat you,” Samuel explained. “He will make soldiers of your sons; some of them will serve in his war chariots, others in his cavalry, and others will run before his chariots.

₁₂He will make some of them officers in charge of a thousand men, and others in charge of fifty men. Your sons will have to plough his fields, harvest his crops, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots. ₁₃Your daughters will have to make perfumes for him and work as his cooks and his bakers. ₁₄He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials. ₁₅He will take a tenth of your corn and of your grapes for his court officers and other officials.

₁₆He will take your servants and your best cattle and donkeys, and make them work for him. ₁₇He will take a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will become his slaves. ₁₈When that time comes, you will complain bitterly because of your king, whom you yourselves chose, but the LORD will not listen to your complaints.”

₁₉The people paid no attention to Samuel, but said “No! We want a king, ₂₀so that we will be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles.”

₁₄And Samuel said to them, “Let us all go to Gilgal and once more proclaim Saul as our king.” ₁₅So they all went to Gilgal, and there at the holy place they proclaimed Saul king. They offered fellowship sacrifices, and Saul and all the people of Israel celebrated the event.