CHAPTER 3
1 Forsooth the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious; in those days was none open revelation.
2 Therefore it was done in a day, Eli lay in his bed, and his eyes dimmed, and he might not see;
3 the lantern of the Lord was not yet quenched. And Samuel slept in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
4 And the Lord called Samuel; and he answered and said, Lo! I or Lo! I am ready.
5 And he ran to Eli, and said to him, Lo! I; for thou calledest me. And Eli said, I called not thee; turn thou again and sleep. And he went and slept.
6 And the Lord added again to call Samuel; and Samuel rose, and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I am here; for thou calledest me. And Eli answered, I called not thee, my son; turn thou again and sleep.
7 Forsooth Samuel knew not yet the Lord, neither the word of the Lord was showed to him.
8 And the Lord added, and called yet Samuel the third time; the which rose up and went to Eli, and said, Lo! I; for thou calledest me. Then Eli understood, that the Lord had called the child;
9 and Eli said to Samuel, Go thou and sleep; and if he calleth thee afterward, thou shalt say, Speak thou, Lord, for thy servant heareth. Then Samuel went and slept in his place.
10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as he had called the second time, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said, Speak thou, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Lo! I shall make a word, that is, a thing signified by a word, in Israel, which word whoever shall hear, both his ears shall ring, that is, he shall be astonied for wonder and dread.
12 In that day I shall raise up against Eli all things that I have spoken upon his house; I shall begin it, and I shall end it.
13 For I before-said to him, that I should deem his house without end for the wickedness thereof; for he knew, that his sons did unworthily, and he chastised not them.
14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the wickedness of his meine, or house, shall not be cleansed with sacrifices and gifts till into without end.
15 And then Samuel slept till the morrowtide, and he opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel dreaded to show the revelation to Eli.
16 Therefore Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered and said, I am ready.
17 And Eli asked him, What is the word that the Lord hath spoken to thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me; God do to thee these things, and increase these things, if thou hidest from me a word of all [the] words that be said to thee.
18 And Samuel showed to him all the words, and hid not anything from him. And Eli answered, He is the Lord; do he that, that is good in his eyes.
19 Forsooth Samuel increased, and the Lord was with him, and none of all his words felled into [the] earth, that is, in vain, for all was fulfilled.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew, that faithful Samuel was a prophet of the Lord.
21 And the Lord added to appear again in Shiloh, for the Lord was showed to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord;