Now athe boy Samuel
was ministering
to the LORD
before
Eli
. And bword
from the LORD
was rare
in those
days
, 1visions
were infrequent
.
It happened at that time
as Eli
was lying
down
in his place
(now ahis eyesight
had begun
to grow dim
and he could
not see
well),
and athe lamp of God
had not yet
gone
out, and Samuel
was lying
down
in the temple
of the LORD
where
the ark
of God
was,
that the LORD called
Samuel
; and he said
, " aHere
I am."
Then he ran to Eli
and said
, "Here
I am, for you called
me." But he said
, "I did not call
, lie
down
again
." So he went
and lay
down
.
The LORD called
yet
again
, "Samuel
!" So Samuel
arose
and went
to Eli
and said
, "Here
I am, for you called
me." But he 1answered
, "I did not call
, my son
, lie
down
again
."
aNow Samuel did not yet
know
the LORD
, nor
had the word
of the LORD
yet
been revealed
to him.
So the LORD called
Samuel
again
for the third
time
. And he arose
and went
to Eli
and said
, "Here
I am, for you called
me." Then Eli
discerned
that the LORD
was calling
the boy
.
And Eli said
to Samuel
, "Go
lie
down
, and it shall be if
He calls
you, that you shall say
, `Speak
, LORD
, for Your servant
is listening
.' " So Samuel
went
and lay
down
in his place
.
Then the LORD came
and stood
and called
as at other
times
, "Samuel
! Samuel
!" And Samuel
said
, "Speak
, for Your servant
is listening
."
The LORD said
to Samuel
, "Behold
, aI am about to do
a thing
in Israel
at which
both
ears
of everyone
who hears
it will tingle
.
"In that day aI will carry
out against
Eli
all
that I have spoken
concerning
his house
, from beginning
to end
.
"For aI have told him that I am about to judge
his house
forever
for bthe iniquity
which
he knew
, because
chis sons
brought
a curse
on themselves
and dhe did not rebuke
them.
"Therefore I have sworn
to the house
of Eli
that athe iniquity
of Eli's
house
shall not be atoned
for by sacrifice
or offering
forever
."
So Samuel lay
down
until
morning
. Then he aopened
the doors
of the house
of the LORD
. But Samuel
was afraid
to tell
bthe vision
to Eli
.
Then Eli called
Samuel
and said
, "Samuel
, my son
." And he said
, "Here
I am."
He said, "What
is the word
that He spoke
to you? Please
do not hide
it from me. aMay God
do
so
to you, and more
also
, if
you hide
anything
from me of all
the words
that He spoke
to you."
So Samuel told
him everything
and hid
nothing
from him. And he said
, " aIt is the LORD
; let Him do
what
seems good
to Him."
Thus aSamuel grew
and bthe LORD
was with him and clet none
of his words
1fail
.
All Israel
afrom Dan
even to Beersheba
knew
that Samuel
was confirmed
as a prophet
of the LORD
.
And athe LORD appeared
again
at Shiloh
, bbecause
the LORD
revealed
Himself to Samuel
at Shiloh
by the word
of the LORD
.