3:1 And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Heli the priest: and the word of the Lord was precious in those days, there was no distinct vision.

3:2 And it came to pass at that time that Heli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes began to fail, and could not see.

3:3 And the lamp of God [was burning] before it was trimmed, and Samuel slept in the temple, where [was] the ark of God.

3:4 And the Lord called, Samuel, Samuel; and he said, Behold, [here am] I.

3:5 And he ran to Heli, and said, [Here am] I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I did not call thee; return, go to sleep; and he returned and went to sleep.

3:6 And the Lord called again, Samuel, Samuel: and he went to Heli the second time, and said, Behold [here am] I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I called thee not; return, go to sleep.

3:7 And [it was] before Samuel knew the Lord, and [before] the word of the Lord was revealed to him.

3:8 And the Lord called Samuel again for the third time: and he arose and went to Heli, and said, Behold, I [am here], for thou didst call me: and Heli perceived that the Lord [had] called the child.

3:9 And he said, Return, child, go to sleep; and it shall come to pass if he shall call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak for thy servant hears: and Samuel went and lay down in his place.

3:10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called him as before: and Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant hears.

3:11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I execute my words in Israel; whoever hears them, both his ears shall tingle.

3:12 In that day I will raise up against Heli all things that I have said against his house; I will begin, and I will make an end.

3:13 And I have told him that I will be avenged on his house perpetually for the iniquities of his sons, because his sons spoke evil against God, and he did not admonish them.

3:14 And [it shall] not [go on] so; I have sworn to the house of Eli, the iniquity of the house of Eli shall not be atoned for with incense or sacrifices for ever.

3:15 And Samuel slept till morning, and rose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to tell [Heli] the vision.

3:16 And Heli said to Samuel, Samuel, [my] son; and he said, Behold, [here am] I.

3:17 And he said, What [was] the word that was spoken to thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: may God do these things to thee, and more also, if thou hide from me any thing of all the words that were spoken to thee in thine ears.

3:18 And Samuel reported all the words, and hid them not from him. And Heli said, He [is] the Lord, he shall do that which is good in his sight.

3:19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and there did not fall one of his words to the ground.

3:20 And all Israel knew from Dan even to Bersabee, that Samuel [was] faithful as a prophet to the Lord.

3:21 And the Lord manifested himself again in Selom, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel; and Samuel was accredited to all Israel as a prophet to the Lord from one end of the land to the other: and Heli [was] very old, and his sons kept advancing [in wickedness], and their way [was] evil before the Lord.

3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3:3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

3:4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

3:5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

3:6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

3:8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

3:9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

3:10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

3:11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

3:12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

3:13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

3:14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

3:15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

3:16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

3:17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

3:18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.