Kings I 3

1 And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Heli the priest: and the word of the Lord was precious in those days, there was no distinct vision.

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 And it came to pass at that time that Heli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes began to fail, and could not see.

One evening, Eli had gone to bed in his room. His eyes were now so weak that he couldn't see.

3 And the lamp of God [was burning] before it was trimmed, and Samuel slept in the temple, where [was] the ark of God.

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 And the Lord called, Samuel, Samuel; and he said, Behold, [here am] I.

Then the Lord called, “Samuel!” He answered, “I'm here.”

5 And he ran to Heli, and said, [Here am] I, for you did call me: and he said, I did not call you; return, go to sleep; and he returned and went to sleep.

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 And the Lord called again, Samuel, Samuel: and he went to Heli the second time, and said, Behold [here am] I, for you did call me: and he said, I called you not; return, go to sleep.

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 And [it was] before Samuel knew the Lord, and [before] the word of the Lord was revealed to him.

(Samuel hadn't yet come to know the Lord and had not received any message from him.)

8 And the Lord called Samuel again for the third time: and he arose and went to Heli, and said, Behold, I [am here], for you did call me: and Heli perceived that the Lord [had] called the child.

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 And he said, Return, child, go to sleep; and it shall come to pass if he shall call you, that you shall say, Speak for your servant hears: and Samuel went and lay down in his place.

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 And the Lord came, and stood, and called him as before: and Samuel said, Speak, for your servant hears.

The Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, because your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I execute my words in Israel; whoever hears them, both his ears shall tingle.

The Lord told Samuel: “Pay attention, because I'm going to do something in Israel that will surprise everyone who hears it.

12 In that day I will raise up against Heli all things that I have said against his house; I will begin, and I will make an end.

That's when I will carry out against Eli and his family everything I have said, from beginning to end.

13 And I have told him that I will be avenged on his house perpetually for the iniquities of his sons, because his sons spoke evil against God, and he did not admonish them.

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 And [it shall] not [go on] so; I have sworn to the house of Eli, the iniquity of the house of Eli shall not be atoned for with incense or sacrifices for ever.

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 And Samuel slept till morning, and rose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to tell [Heli] the vision.

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 And Heli said to Samuel, Samuel, [my] son; and he said, Behold, [here am] I.

But Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “I'm here,” Samuel answered.

17 And he said, What [was] the word that was spoken to you? I pray you hide it not from me: may God do these things to you, and more also, if you hide from me any thing of all the words that were spoken to you in your ears.

“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 And Samuel reported all the words, and hid them not from him. And Heli said, He [is] the Lord, he shall do that which is good in his sight.

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 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and there did not fall one of his words to the ground.

Samuel continued to grow up. The Lord was with him and made sure all he said was trustworthy.

20 And all Israel knew from Dan even to Bersabee, that Samuel [was] faithful as a prophet to the Lord.

Everyone in the whole of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

21 And the Lord manifested himself again in Selom, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel; and Samuel was accredited to all Israel as a prophet to the Lord from one end of the land to the other: and Heli [was] very old, and his sons kept advancing [in wickedness], and their way [was] evil before the Lord.

The Lord went on appearing at Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel and delivered his messages,