1 Samuel 3

The Prophetic Call to Samuel

1Now athe boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And bword from the Lord was rare in those days,
Lit no vision spread abroad
visions were infrequent.

2It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now dhis eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3and ethe 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, 4that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, fHere I am.” 5Then 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. 6The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he
Lit said
answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.”
7 hNow Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8So 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. 9And 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.

10Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, iI am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12In that day jI will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13“For kI have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for lthe iniquity which he knew, because mhis sons brought a curse on themselves and nhe did not rebuke them. 14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that othe iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he popened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell qthe vision to Eli. 16Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. rMay God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” 18So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, s“It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”

19Thus tSamuel grew and uthe Lord was with him and vlet none of his words
Lit fall to the ground
fail.
20All Israel xfrom Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21And ythe Lord appeared again at Shiloh, zbecause the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
Copyright information for NASB1995