1. When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2. The name of his firstborn son was Joel; the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.
3. The sons didn’t follow their father’s example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice.
4. Then all the leaders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
5. They told him, “You’re old, and your sons aren’t following your example. Now appoint a king to judge us so that we will be like all the other nations.”
6. But Samuel considered it wrong for them to request a king to judge them. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7. The Lord told Samuel, “Listen to everything the people are saying to you. They haven’t rejected you; they’ve rejected me.