3:1 Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days; ①visions were infrequent.
▷ ①Lit there was no vision spreading
3:2 But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to be ①poor and he could not see well),
▷ ①Lit dim
3:3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was,
3:4 that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”
3:5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
3:6 And the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son, go back and lie down.”
3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.
3:8 So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
3:9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
3:10 Then the LORD came and stood, and called as at the other times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
3:11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am going to do a thing in Israel, and both ears of everyone who hears about it will ring.
3:12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything that I have spoken in regard to his house, from beginning to end.
3:13 For I have told him that I am going to judge his house forever for the wrongdoing that he knew, because his sons were bringing a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.
3:14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the wrongdoing of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”
3:15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
3:16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.”
3:17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do the same to you, and more so, if you hide a single word from me of all the words that He spoke to you!”
3:18 So Samuel told him ①everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “He is the LORD; let Him do ②what seems good to Him.”
▷ ①Lit all the words ②Lit the good in His eyes
3:19 Now Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of his words ①fail.
▷ ①Lit fall to the ground
3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.
3:21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.