1 Samuel 3

1And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.

1The boy Samuel served the LORD under the supervision of Eli. In those days messages from the LORD were rare, and visions were not common.

2And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see),

2One night Eli, whose eyesight was failing so that he could hardly see, was lying down in his usual place.

3and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was;

3The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the chest of God was kept.

4that Jehovah called Samuel: and he said, Here am I.

4The LORD called Samuel, and Samuel answered, 'I am here.'

5And 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.

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

6And Jehovah called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

6The LORD called again, 'Samuel!' Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'I am here; you called me.' Eli answered, 'I didn't call you, my son; go back and lie down.'

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

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

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

8The LORD called Samuel a third time. He got up, went to Eli, and said, 'I am here; you called me.' Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.

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

9So Eli told Samuel, 'Go and lie down. If he calls you again, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10And Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

10The LORD came and stood there, calling as he had before, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening.'

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

11The LORD said to Samuel, 'Look, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring.'

12In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end.

12'At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I warned him about regarding his family, from beginning to end.'

13For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.

13'I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves a curse, and he did not stop them.'

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

14'Therefore, I swore to the family of Eli that the sin of his house will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.'

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

15Samuel stayed in bed until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.

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

16But Eli called him and said, 'Samuel, my son.' Samuel answered, 'I am here.'

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

17Eli asked, 'What was the message he gave you? Please do not hide it from me. May God punish you severely if you hide any part of what he told you.'

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

18So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything. Eli said, 'He is the LORD; let him do what he thinks is best.'

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

19As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and made sure that none of Samuel's prophecies failed to come true.

20And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah.

20All the people of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

21And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh; for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Jehovah.

21The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because he revealed himself to Samuel there through his word.