The Lord Calls Samuel
1 The boy Samuel ministered before theLordunder Eli. In those days the word of theLordwas rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of theLord, where the ark of God was.
4 Then theLordcalled Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Again theLordcalled, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know theLord: The word of theLordhad not yet been revealed to him.
8 A third time theLordcalled, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that theLordwas calling the boy.
9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak,Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 TheLordcame and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 And theLordsaid to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.
12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end.
13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,and he failed to restrain them.
14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of theLord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.”
18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is theLord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
19 TheLordwas with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of theLord.
21 TheLordcontinued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/3/32k/1SA/3-f290b35232078f02f87b98e9cd669d25.mp3?version_id=111—