The King

14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession(A) of it and settled in it,(B) and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”(C) 15 be sure to appoint(D) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.(E) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses(F) for himself(G) or make the people return to Egypt(H) to get more of them,(I) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”(J) 17 He must not take many wives,(K) or his heart will be led astray.(L) He must not accumulate(M) large amounts of silver and gold.(N)

18 When he takes the throne(O) of his kingdom, he is to write(P) for himself on a scroll a copy(Q) of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life(R) so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees(S) 20 and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law(T) to the right or to the left.(U) Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.(V)

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11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take(A) your sons and make them serve(B) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.(C) 12 Some he will assign to be commanders(D) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your(E) fields and vineyards(F) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.(G) 15 He will take a tenth(H) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[a] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer(I) you in that day.(J)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men

12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant(A) and proclaimed him king. They anointed(B) him, and the people clapped their hands(C) and shouted, “Long live the king!”(D)

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