1 Samuel 3

¹ And the boy Samuel served Jehovah before Eli. And the Word of Jehovah was rare in those days; visions were not breaking through.

² And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes had begun to grow dim that he could not see,

³ and the lamp of God had not yet gone out in the temple of Jehovah where the ark of God was, where Samuel was lying down,

⁴ that Jehovah called, Samuel. And he answered, Here am I!

⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. And he said, I have not called; go back and lie down. And he went and lay down.

⁶ And Jehovah called yet again, Samuel. So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for you called me. He answered, I have not called, my son; go back and lie down.

⁷ (Now Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, nor was the Word of Jehovah yet revealed to him.)

⁸ And Jehovah called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that Jehovah was calling the boy.

⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you shall say, Speak, Jehovah, for Your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ And Jehovah came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel answered, Speak, for Your servant is listening.

¹¹ And Jehovah said to Samuel: Behold, I am doing something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.

¹² In that day I shall carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

¹³ For I have declared to him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he has known, because his sons are being despicable, and he has not restrained them.

¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.

¹⁵ And Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of Jehovah. And Samuel was afraid to make known the vision to Eli.

¹⁶ Then Eli summoned Samuel and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here I am.

¹⁷ And he said, What is the word 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 has spoken to you.

¹⁸ And Samuel told him the matter, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is Jehovah. Let Him do what is good in His eyes.

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

²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was being established as a prophet of Jehovah.

²¹ And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh. For Jehovah revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the Word of Jehovah.