1 Samuel 8

¹ Forsothe the Lord seide to Samuel, Here thou the vois of the puple in alle thingis whiche thei speken to thee; for thei han not caste awey thee, but me, that Y regne not on hem. ² Bi alle her werkis whiche thei diden, fro the day in whiche Y ledde hem out of Egipt til to this dai, as thei forsoken me, and seruyden alien goddis, so thei doon also to thee. 3 Now therfor here thou her vois; netheles witnesse thou to hem; biforseie thou to hem the riyt of the kyng, that schal regne on hem. 4 Therfor Samuel seide alle the wordis of the Lord to the puple, that hadde axid of him a king; and he seide, 5 This schal be the riyt of the kyng, that schal comaunde to you; he schal take youre sones, and schal sette in hise charis; ⁶ and he schal make hem to hym silf rideris, and biforegoeris of hise cartis; and he schal ordeyne to hym tribunes, that is, souereyns of a thousynd, and centuriouns, that is, souereyns of an hundrid, and eereris of hise feeldis, and reperis of cornes, and smythis of hise armeris, and charis. 7 Also he schal make youre douytris makeris of oynementis to hym silf, and fueris, and bakeris. ⁸ And he schal take youre feeldis and vyneris and the beste places of olyues, and schal yyue to hise seruauntis. ⁹ But also he schal take the tenthe part of youre cornes, and rentis of vyneris, that he yyue to his chaumberleyns and seruauntis. ¹⁰ Sotheli he schal take awey youre seruauntis and handmaydes, and beste yong men, and assis, and schal sette in his werk. ¹¹ Also he schal take the tenthe part of youre flockis, and ye schulen be seruauntis to hym. 12 And ye schulen crye in that dai fro the face of youre kyng, whom ye han chose to you; and the Lord schal not here you in that dai; for ye axiden a kyng to you. 13 Sotheli the puple nolde here the vois of Samuel, but thei seiden, Nay for a kyng schal be on vs; 14 and we also schulen be as alle folkis, and oure kyng schal deme vs, and he schal go out bifor vs, and he schal fiyte oure batel for vs. 15 And Samuel herde alle the wordis of the puple, and spak tho in the eeris of the Lord. ¹⁶ Forsothe the Lord seide to Samuel, Here thou the vois of hem, and ordeyne thou a kyng on hem. And Samuel seide to the men of Israel, Ech man go in to his citee. 18 And a man was of Beniamyn, `Cys bi name, the sone of Abiel, sone of Seor, sone of Bethor, sone of Aphia, sone of the man Gemyny, strong in bodili myyt. ¹⁹ And to hym was a sone, Saul bi name, chosun and good; and no man of the sones of Israel was betere than he; fro the schuldur and aboue he apperide ouer al the puple. ²⁰ Sotheli the femal assis of Cys, the fadir of Saul, perischyden. And Cys seide to Saul his sone, Take with thee oon of the children, and rise thou, and go, and seke the femal assis. And whanne thei hadden go bi the hil of Effraym, ²¹ and bi the lond of Salisa, and hadden not foundun, thei passiden also bi the lond of Salym, and tho weren not there; but also ’thei passiden bi the lond of Gemyny, and founden not. ²² Sotheli whanne thei hadden come in to the lond of Suph, and hadden not founde, Saul seide to his child that was with hym, Come thou, and turne we ayen; lest perauenture my fadir hath lefte the femal assis, and is bisy for vs.