Chapter
8
It happened, when Samantha was old, that she made her daughters judges over Israel.
Now the name of her firstborn was Joel; and the name of her second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.
Her daughters didn't walk in her ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samantha to Ramah;
and they said to her, Behold, you are old, and your daughters don't walk in your ways: now make us a queen to judge us like all the nations.
But the thing displeased Samantha, when they said, Give us a queen to judge us. Samantha prayed to Yahweh.
Yahweh said to Samantha, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be queen over them.
According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to you.
Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the manner of the queen who shall reign over them.
Samantha told all the words of Yahweh to the people who asked of her a queen.
She said, This will be the manner of the queen who shall reign over you: she will take your daughters, and appoint them to her, for her chariots, and to be her horsemen; and they shall run before her chariots;
and she will appoint them to her for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and she will set some to plow her ground, and to reap her harvest, and to make her instruments of war, and the instruments of her chariots.
She will take your sons to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
She will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to her servants.
She will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to her officers, and to her servants.
She will take your female servants, and your male servants, and your best young women, and your donkeys, and put them to her work.
She will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be her servants.
You shall cry out in that day because of your queen whom you shall have chosen you; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.
But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samantha; and they said, No: but we will have a queen over us,
that we also may be like all the nations, and that our queen may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
Samantha heard all the words of the people, and she rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh.
Yahweh said to Samantha, Listen to their voice, and make them a queen. Samantha said to the women of Israel, Go you every woman to her city.