Samuel then governed Israel long, and when he was old he set his sons judges on Israel, whose names were Joel and Abiah.  And these two his sons walked not in his ways, but declined after covetise and took gifts and perverted justice and doom.  Then assembled and gathered together all the greatest of birth of the children of Israel, and came to Samuel and said:  Lo! thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways, wherefore ordain to us a king that may judge and rule us like as all other nations have.  This displeased much to Samuel when they said, Ordain on us a king.  Then Samuel counselled on this matter with our Lord, to whom God said:  Hear the voice of the people that speak to thee:  they have not cast only thee away, but me, that I should not reign on them, for they do now like as they ever have done sith I brought them out of Egypt unto this day; that is that they have served false gods and strange, and so do they to thee.  Notwithstanding hear them, and tell to them tofore, the right of the king, and how he shall oppress them.

Samuel told all this to the people that demanded to have a king, and said:  This shall be the right of a king that shall reign on you.  He shall take your sons and make them his men of war, and set them in his chariots and shall make them his carters and riders of his horse in his chariots and carts, and shall ordain of them tribunes and centurions, earers and tillers of his fields, and mowers and reapers of his corn, and he shall make them smiths, and armorers of harness and cars, and he shall also take your daughters and make them his unguentaries [makers of perfumes], and ready at his will and pleasure; he shall also take from you your fields and vineyards and the best olives and give them to his servants, and he shall task and dime [tithe] your corn and sheaves, and the rents of your vineyards he shall value for to give to his officers and servants, and shall take from you your servants, both men and women, and set them to his works.  And your asses and beasts he also shall take to his labor, your flocks of sheep he shall task and take the tenth or what shall please him, and ye shall be to him thrall and servants.  And ye shall cry then wishing to flee from the face of yaur king, and our Lord shall not hear you nor deliver you because ye have asked for you a king.  Yet for all this the people would not hear Samuel, but said:  Give to us a king, for a king shall reign on us, and we shall be as all other people be.  And our king shall judge us and go before us, and he shall fight our battles for us.

And Samuel heard all and counselled with our Lord.  To whom God commanded to ordain to them a king, and so he did, for he took a man of the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Saul, a good man and chosen, and there was not a better among all the children of Israel, and he was higher of stature from the shoulder upward than any other of all the people.  And Samuel anointed him king upon Israel, and said to him: