1 Samuel 3

1 The child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. The LORD’s word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then.

And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Heli the priest: and the word of the Lord was precious in those days, there was no distinct vision.

2 At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),

And it came to pass at that time that Heli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes began to fail, and could not see.

3 and God’s lamp had not yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in the LORD’s temple where God’s ark was,

And the lamp of God [was burning] before it was trimmed, and Samuel slept in the temple, where [was] the ark of God.

4 The LORD called Samuel. He said, “Here I am.”

And the Lord called, Samuel, Samuel; and he said, Behold, [here am] I.

5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He said, “I did not call. Lie down again.” He went and lay down.

And he ran to Heli, and said, [Here am] I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I did not call thee; return, go to sleep; and he returned and went to sleep.

6 The LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son. Lie down again.”

And the Lord called again, Samuel, Samuel: and he went to Heli the second time, and said, Behold [here am] I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I called thee not; return, go to sleep.

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the LORD’s word yet revealed to him.

And [it was] before Samuel knew the Lord, and [before] the word of the Lord was revealed to him.

8 The LORD called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

And the Lord called Samuel again for the third time: and he arose and went to Heli, and said, Behold, I [am here], for thou didst call me: and Heli perceived that the Lord [had] called the child.

9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. It shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD; for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

And he said, Return, child, go to sleep; and it shall come to pass if he shall call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak for thy servant hears: and Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”

And the Lord came, and stood, and called him as before: and Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant hears.

11 The LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I execute my words in Israel; whoever hears them, both his ears shall tingle.

12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end.

In that day I will raise up against Heli all things that I have said against his house; I will begin, and I will make an end.

13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he did not restrain them.

And I have told him that I will be avenged on his house perpetually for the iniquities of his sons, because his sons spoke evil against God, and he did not admonish them.

14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be removed with sacrifice or offering forever.”

And [it shall] not [go on] so; I have sworn to the house of Eli, the iniquity of the house of Eli shall not be atoned for with incense or sacrifices for ever.

15 Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the LORD’s house. Samuel was afraid to show Eli the vision.

And Samuel slept till morning, and rose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to tell [Heli] the vision.

16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He said, “Here I am.”

And Heli said to Samuel, Samuel, [my] son; and he said, Behold, [here am] I.

17 He said, “What is the thing that he has spoken to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you.”

And he said, What [was] the word that was spoken to thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: may God do these things to thee, and more also, if thou hide from me any thing of all the words that were spoken to thee in thine ears.

18 Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him. He said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.”

And Samuel reported all the words, and hid them not from him. And Heli said, He [is] the Lord, he shall do that which is good in his sight.

19 Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and there did not fall one of his words to the ground.

20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

And all Israel knew from Dan even to Bersabee, that Samuel [was] faithful as a prophet to the Lord.

21 The LORD appeared again in Shiloh; for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the LORD’s word.

And the Lord manifested himself again in Selom, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel; and Samuel was accredited to all Israel as a prophet to the Lord from one end of the land to the other: and Heli [was] very old, and his sons kept advancing [in wickedness], and their way [was] evil before the Lord.