1 Samuel 3:1-14 ▼

1 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the LORD under Eli's supervision. Word from the LORD was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.

2 Eli's eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place,

3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD as well; the ark of God was also there.

4 The LORD called to Samuel, and he replied, |Here I am!|

5 Then he ran to Eli and said, |Here I am, for you called me.| But Eli said, |I didn't call you. Go back and lie down.| So he went back and lay down.

6 The LORD again called, |Samuel!| So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, |Here I am, for you called me.| But Eli said, |I didn't call you, my son. Go back and lie down.|

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD; the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

8 Then the LORD called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, |Here I am, for you called me!| Eli then realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.

9 So Eli said to Samuel, |Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, |Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.| So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.

10 Then the LORD came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, |Samuel! Samuel!| Samuel replied, |Speak, for your servant is listening!|

11 The LORD said to Samuel, |Look! I am about to do something in Israel; when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle.

12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything that I spoke about his house--from start to finish!

13 You should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God, and he did not rebuke them.

14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, 'The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.'|