1 Samuel 3

3 ¹ Now the boy Samuel was serving our Father under Eli. In those days the word of our Father was rare, and visions were uncommon.

² One day Eli was lying down in his usual place. His eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see. ³ The lamp of our Father had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of our Father, where his ark was.

⁴ Then our Father called to Samuel, and Samuel said, "Here I am."

⁵ He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call you; go back and lie down." So Samuel went and lay down.

⁶ Once again our Father called, "Samuel!" So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; you called me." "I did not call, my son," Eli said. "Go back and lie down."

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know our Father, and the word of our Father had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ So our Father called Samuel again, the third time. He got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that our Father was calling the boy.

⁹ So Eli said to Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, my Father, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ Then our Father came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

¹¹ Then our Father said to Samuel, "Look, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears it tingle." ¹² "On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have said about his family, from beginning to end." ¹³ "I told him that I am about to judge his house forever because of the sin he knew about: his sons were blaspheming me, and he did not restrain them." ¹⁴ "Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering."

Samuel Tells Eli the Father's Word

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of our Father. But he was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. ¹⁶ But Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." "Here I am," Samuel replied.

¹⁷ "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May our Father deal with you most severely if you hide from me anything he told you."

¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then Eli said, "It is our Father; let him do what seems right to him."

¹⁹ Samuel grew up, and our Father was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of our Father. ¹ 1 v20 Dan was Israel's northernmost city and Beersheba its southernmost — "from Dan to Beersheba" means throughout the whole land. ²¹ Our Father continued to appear at Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.