 It was a mistake that could easily have been remedied, but it brought to a head all the frustrations of a tired generation. The story is told that when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges in Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel. His second son was Abijah. They served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.