1 Samuel 3
1NOW when the child Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli the priest (in those days the word of the Lord was precious—there was no distinct vision)
2it came to pass at that time, when Eli was sleeping in his place, his eyes having then begun to be heavy, so that he could not see,
3and before the lamp of God was replenished, and Samuel was sleeping at the temple, where the ark of God was,
4the Lord called, Samuel! Samuel! Whereupon he said, Here I am,
5and ran to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou didst call me. And he said, I did not call thee. Return, and go to sleep. So he returned and went to sleep. And the Lord again called Samuel! Samuel! Whereupon he went to Eli, a second time, and said, Here I am; for thou didst call me. And he said I did not call thee, Return, and go to sleep.
7Thus before Samuel knew God, or the word of the Lord was revealed to him,
8the Lord proceeded to call Samuel the third time; whereupon Samuel arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou didst call me. Then Eli conjectured that the Lord had called him;
9therefore he said, Return my son, and go to sleep, and if He call thee thou shalt say, Speak, for Thy servant heareth.
10So Samuel went, and lay down in his place, and the Lord came, and stood over against him, and called him as before. And Samuel said, Speak, for Thy servant heareth.
11Then the Lord said to Samuel, Behold I am about to execute My words in Israel, at which both the ears of every one who heareth them shall tingle.
12In that day I will bring upon Eli all that I have spoken against his house, I will begin and completely finish.
13I have indeed told him that I will take vengeance on his house forever, for the iniquities of his sons. Because his sons spoke evil of God,
14and he did not chastise them, therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated with incense or sacrifices forever.
15And Samuel lay till the morning, and arose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but was afraid to tell the vision.
16Then Eli said to Samuel, Samuel, my son! And he said, Here I am.
17And he said, What was the word spoken to thee? Hide it not from me, I pray thee. God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me, of all that was spoken to thee in thy hearing.
18Then Samuel told him all the words. He did not hide anything from him. Whereupon Eli said, He is the Lord. He will do what is good in His sight.
19And Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, so that not one of his words fell to the ground.
20And all Israel, from Dan to Bersabee, knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord.
21And the Lord continued to manifest Himself at Selom; for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel, and it was confidently believed that Samuel would be the prophet of the Lord to all Israel, from one end of the land to the other.