1 Samuel 3  Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Samuel’s Call

3 The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence.^(A) In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.^(B)

² One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing,^(C) was lying in his usual place. ³ Before the lamp of God had gone out,^(D) Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located.

⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel,^[a] and he answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁵ He ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’

‘I didn’t call,’ Eli replied. ‘Go back and lie down.’ So he went and lay down.

⁶ Once again the Lord called, ‘Samuel! ’

Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’

‘I didn’t call, my son,’ he replied. ‘Go back and lie down.’

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’

Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ He told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, ‘Samuel, Samuel! ’

Samuel responded, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’

¹¹ The Lord said to Samuel, ‘I am about to do something in Israel that will cause everyone who hears about it to shudder.^{[b](E) 12} On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end.^{(F) 13} I told him that I am going to judge his family for ever because of the iniquity which he knows about: his sons are cursing God,^[c] and he has not stopped them.^{(G) 14} Therefore, I have sworn to Eli’s family: The iniquity of Eli’s family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.’^(H)

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’

‘Here I am,’ answered Samuel.

¹⁷ ‘What was the message he gave you? ’ Eli asked. ‘Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.’^{(I) 18} So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, ‘He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.’^(J)

¹⁹ Samuel grew.^(K) The Lord was with him,^(L) and he fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied.^{[d](M) 20} All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord.^{(N) 21} The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel by his word.^(O)