1 SamuelChapter 3

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¹The boy Samuel served the LORD under Eli. In those days the LORD did not speak to people very often. Visions did not come often. ²One night Eli was lying down in his room. His eyes had grown so weak that he could not see. ³The lamp of God had not yet gone out. Samuel was lying down in the LORD's temple, where the ark of God was. ⁴Then the LORD called to Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." ⁵He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go back and lie down." So Samuel went and lay down. ⁶Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, "Here I am. You called me." "My son, I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go back and lie down." ⁷Samuel did not yet know the LORD. The LORD had not yet given him a message. ⁸The LORD called Samuel a third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹So Eli said to Samuel, "Go and lie down. If he calls you again, say, 'Speak, LORD. Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰Then the LORD came and stood there. He called as he had before, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak. Your servant is listening." ¹¹The LORD said to Samuel, "Look, I am about to do something in Israel. It will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring. ¹²On that day I will do to Eli everything I said I would do to his family. I will do it all, from beginning to end. ¹³I told him I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about. His sons spoke evil against God, and he did not stop them. ¹⁴So I have sworn an oath to Eli's family. I said, 'The sin of Eli's family will never be atoned for by any sacrifice or offering.'" ¹⁵Samuel lay there until morning. Then he opened the doors of the LORD's house. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. ¹⁶But Eli called him. He said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am." ¹⁷Eli asked, "What did the LORD say to you? Don't hide it from me. May God punish you, and punish you hard, if you hide anything he told you." ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything. He did not hide anything from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD. Let him do what he thinks is best." ¹⁹Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him. The LORD made sure that every word Samuel spoke came true. ²⁰So all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was truly a prophet of the LORD. ²¹The LORD kept appearing at Shiloh, because there he showed himself to Samuel through his word.