1 Now athe boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And bword from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now ahis eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 and athe lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, "aHere I am." 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, lie down again." So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he answered, "I did not call, my son, lie down again." 7 aNow Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." 11 The Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, aI am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 "In that day aI will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 "For aI have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for bthe iniquity which he knew, because chis sons brought a curse on themselves and dhe did not rebuke them. 14 "Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that athe iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." 15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he aopened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell bthe vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am." 17 He said, "What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. aMay God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you." 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "aIt is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him." 19 Thus aSamuel grew and bthe Lord was with him and clet none of his words fail. 20 All Israel afrom Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And athe Lord appeared again at Shiloh, bbecause the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.