1 Samuel

3 And the boy Samuel was officiating in the service of Jehovah before ʽEli—and Jehovah’s word was rare in those days; there was no widespread seeing of visions— 2 and on that day, while ʽEli was lying in his place (his eyes had begun to grow dim so that he could not see), 3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was, 4* Jehovah called “Samuel, Samuel!” and he said “Here I am,” 5 and ran to ʽEli and said “Here I am, because you called me.” And he said “I did not call; go back and lie down.” And he went and lay down. 6* And again Jehovah called “Samuel, Samuel!” and he went to ʽEli and said “Here I am, because you called me”; and he said “I did not call, my son; go back and lie down.” 7 (And Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, and Jehovah’s word was not yet revealed to him.) 8 And Jehovah called Samuel for the third time; and he ran and went to ʽEli and said “Here I am, because you called me”; and ʽEli perceived that Jehovah was calling the boy. 9 And ʽEli said to Samuel “Go and lie down, and if he calls to you say ‘Speak, Jehovah, for your servant is listening’”; and Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And Jehovah came and stood and called, as he had before, “Samuel, Samuel!” and Samuel said “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 And Jehovah said to Samuel “Lo, I will do such a thing in Israel that when anybody hears of it both his ears will buzz. 12 On that day I will make good to ʽEli everything that I have denounced against his family, and do it all at once. 13** And I will tell him that I will execute a perpetual judgment upon his family, because he knew that his sons were insulting God and he did not check them; 14 and so I swear to ʽEli’s family that the offense of ʽEli’s family shall not be purged by sacrifice and offering forever.” 15 And Samuel lay abed till morning, and in the morning he opened the door of Jehovah’s house.

And Samuel was afraid to tell ʽEli the vision. 16 And ʽEli called Samuel and said “Samuel, my son!” and he said “Here I am.” 17 And he said “What was the word that he spoke to you? now do not conceal it from me; Jehovah do so to you, and more, if you conceal from me anything of all the words that he spoke to you.” 18 And Samuel told him every word, and did not conceal it from him; and he said “It is Jehovah; he will do as he sees fit.”

19 And Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him and did not let any of his words fall to the ground; 20 and all Israel from Dan to Beer-Shebaʽ knew that Samuel was to be depended on as a prophet of Jehovah. 21 And Jehovah continued to appear in Shiloh; for Jehovah revealed himself in Shiloh, by his word, to Samuel;