1 Samuel 3

Modern

Literal

The LORD Calls Samuel

¹And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli.

Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce.

¹And the boy Samuel ministered to YHWH before the face of Eli. And the word of YHWH was rare in those days; there was no vision broken forth.

²And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.

²And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place and his eyes had begun to be dim, that he could not see,

³Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.

³and the lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of YHWH where there was the ark of God,

⁴Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”

⁴that YHWH called to Samuel. And he answered, “Behold.”

⁵He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”

“I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”

So he went and lay down.

⁵And he ran to Eli and said, “Behold, for you have called me.” And he said, “I did not call. Turn back, lie down.” And he went and lay down.

⁶Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!”

So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”

“My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”

⁶And YHWH added to call again, “Samuel!” And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Behold, for you called me.” And He answered, “I did not call, my son. Turn back, lie down.”

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

⁷And Samuel did not know YHWH, and the word of YHWH was not yet revealed to him.

⁸Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.”

Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.

⁸And YHWH again called Samuel the third time, and he arose and went to Eli and said, “Behold, for you called me.” And Eli perceived that YHWH had called the boy.

⁹“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’”

So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

⁹And Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and it shall come to pass, if He calls to you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, YHWH, for Your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

¹⁰And YHWH came and stationed Himself and called as at other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

¹¹Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle.

¹¹And YHWH said to Samuel, “Behold, I am doing a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

¹²On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.

¹²In that day I will establish against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

¹³I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not^a restrain them.

¹³For I have told him that I will judge his house even to forever for the iniquity that he knows, because his sons blasphemed God, and he did not restrain them.

¹⁴Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁴And now I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of the house of Eli shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or by offering even to forever.’”

Samuel Shares the Vision

¹⁵Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,

¹⁵And Samuel lay down until the morning, and he opened the doors of the house of YHWH. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

¹⁶but Eli called to him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” answered Samuel.

¹⁶And Eli called Samuel, and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he answered, “Behold.”

¹⁷“What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”

¹⁷And he said, “What is the word that He has spoken to you? Please do not hide it from me. Thus may God do to you, and even more, if you hide from me anything of all the words that He has spoken to you.”

¹⁸So Samuel told him everything and did not hide a thing from him.

“He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”

¹⁸And Samuel told to him all the words, and he hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is YHWH. Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”

¹⁹And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.

¹⁹And Samuel grew, and YHWH was with him and did not let any of his words fall to the ground.

²⁰So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

²⁰And all Israel knew, from Dan and to Beersheba, that Samuel was established as a prophet of YHWH.

²¹And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.

²¹And YHWH again appeared in Shiloh, for YHWH revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of YHWH.