There have been 277 years that the children of the Israelites have been living without a leader like Moses and Joshua. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord God. And the Lord God said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected ME, that I should not reign 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 with which they have forsaken ME and served other gods so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them."