The Prophetic Call to Samuel
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the L
ORD before Eli. And word from the L
ORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.
2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim
and he could not see
well),
3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the L
ORD where the ark of God
was,
4 that the L
ORD called Samuel; and he said, Here I am.
5 Then he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. But he said, I did not call, lie down again. So he went and lay down.
6 The L
ORD called yet again, Samuel! So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. But he answered, I did not call, my son, lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the L
ORD, nor had the word of the L
ORD yet been revealed to him.
8 So the L
ORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. Then Eli discerned that the L
ORD was calling the boy.
9 And Eli said to Samuel, Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, Speak, L
ORD, for Your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the L
ORD came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for Your servant is listening.
11 The L
ORD said to Samuel, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
12 In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.
13 For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.
14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Elis house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.
15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the L
ORD. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel, my son. And he said, Here I am.
17 He said, What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.
18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the L
ORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.
19 Thus Samuel grew and the L
ORD was with him and let none of his words fail.
20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the L
ORD.
21 And the L
ORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the L
ORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the L
ORD.