8 As Shemuel grew older, he appointed his two sons as judges over Israel. 2 The eldest was Yoel and his brother was Abiyah. They were based in Beersheba. 3 However, they didn’t take after time, but rather chased dishonest gain—accepting bribes and perverting justice.

4 Eventually, the Israeli elders met together with Shemuel at Ramah 5 and requested, “Listen, you’re old now, and your sons don’t follow your example. So appoint a king for us now to lead us like all the other nations.”[ref] 6 But Shemuel thought that their request for a king was an evil request, so he prayed to Yahweh 7 who replied, “Listen to everything that the people are saying, because they’re not rejecting you, but they’re rejecting me from reigning over them. 8 They’re doing to you just what they’ve done to me every since I rescued them out of Egypt and right up until today: deserting me and serving other gods. 9 So listen to what they’re saying now, but certainly warn them about what kings require of their subjects.”