1 Samuel 3

1The boy Samuel was ministering to Yahweh before Eli, and the word of Yahweh was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

2On that day, Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes had begun to grow dim; he could not see.

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

4Then Yahweh called to Samuel, and he said, “Here I am.”

5He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.” But he said, “I did not call. Go back; lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6Then the LORD called Samuel again. Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son. Go back; lie down.”

7Samuel did not yet know Yahweh, and the word of Yahweh had not yet been revealed to him.

8And Yahweh called Samuel again a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli understood that Yahweh was calling the boy.

9Then Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls to you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10Then Yahweh came and stood there, and called as at the other times, “Samuel, Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11Then the LORD said to Samuel, "Look, I am about to do a thing in Israel that will make both ears of everyone who hears of it tingle."

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

13And I have declared to him that I am judging his house forever for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were cursing God, and he did not restrain them.

14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli: the iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.

15Samuel lay down until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

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

17And he said, “What is the word that he spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide from me a word of all the word that he spoke to you.”

18So Samuel told him all the words and hid nothing from him. And he said, “He is Yahweh; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

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

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

21And Yahweh continued to appear at Shiloh, for Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of Yahweh.