3:1 And the child Samuel ministered to 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 grow 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 to 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 to 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 to Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be,
if he should 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 to 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
to thee? I pray thee hide [it] not from me: God do so to thee,
and more also, if thou shalt hide [any] thing from me, of all
the things that he said to 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 let none of
his words fall to the ground.
3:20 And all Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, 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.
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