撒母耳記上 3
1 童子撒母耳在以利面前事奉耶和華。當那些日子，耶和華的言語稀少，不常有默示。
The boy Samuel served before the Lord under Eli's supervision. At that time messages from the Lord were rare—visions were not common.
2 一日，以利睡臥在自己的地方；他眼目昏花，看不分明。
One evening, Eli had gone to bed in his room. His eyes were now so weak that he couldn't see.
3 上帝的燈在上帝耶和華殿內約櫃那裏，還沒有熄滅，撒母耳已經睡了。
The lamp of God hadn't yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Lord's Temple where the Ark of God was.
4 耶和華呼喚撒母耳。撒母耳說：「我在這裏！」
Then the Lord called, “Samuel!” He answered, “I'm here.”
5 就跑到以利那裏，說：「你呼喚我？我在這裏。」以利回答說：「我沒有呼喚你，你去睡吧。」他就去睡了。
He ran to Eli, and said, “I'm here—you called me.” “I didn't call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So Samuel went back to bed.
6 耶和華又呼喚撒母耳。撒母耳起來，到以利那裏，說：「你呼喚我？我在這裏。」以利回答說：「我的兒，我沒有呼喚你，你去睡吧。」
Then the Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up, went to Eli and said, “I'm here—you called me.” “I didn't call you, my son,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.”
7 那時撒母耳還未認識耶和華，也未得耶和華的默示。
(Samuel hadn't yet come to know the Lord and had not received any message from him.)
8 耶和華第三次呼喚撒母耳。撒母耳起來，到以利那裏，說：「你又呼喚我？我在這裏。」以利才明白是耶和華呼喚童子。
The Lord called again for the third time, “Samuel!” He got up went to Eli and said, “I'm here—you called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the Lord calling the boy.
9 因此以利對撒母耳說：「你仍去睡吧；若再呼喚你，你就說：『耶和華啊，請說，僕人敬聽！』」撒母耳就去，仍睡在原處。
Eli told Samuel, “Go back to bed, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, because your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to his bed.
10 耶和華又來站着，像前三次呼喚說：「撒母耳啊！撒母耳啊！」撒母耳回答說：「請說，僕人敬聽！」
The Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, because your servant is listening.”
11 耶和華對撒母耳說：「我在以色列中必行一件事，叫聽見的人都必耳鳴。
The Lord told Samuel: “Pay attention, because I'm going to do something in Israel that will surprise everyone who hears it.
12 我指着以利家所說的話，到了時候，我必始終應驗在以利身上。
That's when I will carry out against Eli and his family everything I have said, from beginning to end.
13 我曾告訴他必永遠降罰與他的家，因他知道兒子作孽，自招咒詛，卻不禁止他們。
I told him that I will judge his family forever because of the sins he knows about, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not try and stop them.
14 所以我向以利家起誓說：『以利家的罪孽，雖獻祭奉禮物，永不能得贖去。』」
That's why I swore to Eli and his family, ‘The guilt of Eli and his descendants will never be removed by sacrifice or offering.’”
15 撒母耳睡到天亮，就開了耶和華的殿門，不敢將默示告訴以利。
Samuel remained in bed until the morning. Then he got up and opened the doors of the Lord's Temple as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.
16 以利呼喚撒母耳說：「我兒撒母耳啊！」撒母耳回答說：「我在這裏！」
But Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “I'm here,” Samuel answered.
17 以利說：「耶和華對你說甚麼，你不要向我隱瞞；你若將上帝對你所說的隱瞞一句，願他重重地降罰與你。」
“What did he tell you?” Eli asked. “Don't hide it from me. May God punish you very severely if you hide anything he told you from me!”
18 撒母耳就把一切話都告訴了以利，並沒有隱瞞。以利說：「這是出於耶和華，願他憑自己的意旨而行。」
So Samuel told him everything and didn't hide anything from him. “It's the Lord,” Eli replied. “May he do what he thinks is good.”
19 撒母耳長大了，耶和華與他同在，使他所說的話一句都不落空。
Samuel continued to grow up. The Lord was with him and made sure all he said was trustworthy.
20 從但到別是巴所有的以色列人都知道耶和華立撒母耳為先知。
Everyone in the whole of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.
21 耶和華又在示羅顯現；因為耶和華將自己的話默示撒母耳，撒母耳就把這話傳遍以色列地。
The Lord went on appearing at Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel and delivered his messages,
