1 Samuel 3

¹ Forsothe the child Samuel `mynystride to the Lord bifor Heli, and the word of the Lord was preciouse; in tho daies was noon opyn reuelacioun.

² Therfor it was doon in a dai, Heli lay in his bed, and hise iyen dasewiden, and he myyte not se the lanterne of God, bifor that it was quenchid.

³ Forsothe Samuel slepte in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

⁴ And the Lord clepide Samuel; and he answeride and seide, Lo!

⁵ Y. And he ran to Hely, and seide to hym, Lo! Y; for thou clepidist me. Which Hely seide, Y clepide not thee; turne thou ayen and slepe.

⁶ And he yede and slepte. And the Lord addide eft to clepe Samuel; and Samuel roos, and yede to Hely, and seide, Lo! Y; for thou clepidist me. And Heli answeride, Y clepide not thee, my sone; turne thou ayen and slepe.

⁷ Forsothe Samuel knew not yit the Lord, nether the `word of the Lord was shewid to hym.

⁸ And the Lord addide, and clepide yit Samuel the thridde tyme; `which Samuel roos and yede to Heli,

⁹ and seide, Lo! Y; for thou clepidist me. Therfor Heli vndirstood, that the Lord clepide the child; and Heli seide to Samuel, Go and slepe; and if he clepith thee aftirward, thou schalt seie, Speke thou, Lord, for thi seruaunt herith. Therfor Samuel yede and slepte in his place.

¹⁰ And the Lord cam, and stood, and clepide as he hadde clepid the secunde tyme, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel seide, Speke thou, Lord, for thi seruaunt herith.

¹¹ And the Lord seide to Samuel, Lo! Y make a word in Israel, which word who euer schal here, bothe hise eeris schulen rynge.

¹² In that dai Y schal reise ayens Heli alle thingis, whiche Y spak on his hows; Y schal bigynne, and Y schal ende.

¹³ For Y biforseide to hym, that Y schulde deme his hows with outen ende for wickidnesse; for he knew, that hise sones diden vnworthili, and he chastiside not hem.

¹⁴ Therfor Y swoor to the hows of Heli, that the wickidnesse of his hows schal not be clensid bi sacrifices and yiftis til in to with outen ende.

¹⁵ Forsothe Samuel slepte til the morewtid, and he openyde the doris of the hows of the Lord; and Samuel dredde to schewe the reuelacioun to Heli.

¹⁶ Therfor Heli clepide Samuel, and seide, Samuel, my sone. And he answeride and seide, Y am redi.

¹⁷ And Heli axide hym, What is the word which the Lord spak to thee? Y preye thee, hide thou not fro me; God do to thee `these thingis, and encreesse these thingis, if thou hidist fro me a word of alle wordis that ben seid to thee.

¹⁸ And Samuel schewide to hym alle the wordis, and `hidde not fro hym. And Heli answeride, He is the Lord; do he that, that is good in hise iyen.

¹⁹ Forsothe Samuel encreeside, and the Lord was with hym, and noon of alle hise wordis felde in to erthe.

²⁰ And al Israel fro Dan to Bersabee knew, that feithful Samuel was a profete of the Lord.

²¹ And the Lord addide `that he schulde appere in Silo, for the Lord was schewid to Samuel in Silo bi the `word of the Lord; and the word of Samuel cam to al Israel.