Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 3:1-20 - New International Version (2024)

The Lord Calls Samuel

3The boy Samuel ministered^(A) before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;^(B) there were not many visions.^(C)

²One night Eli, whose eyes^(D) were becoming so weak that he could barely see,^(E) was lying down in his usual place. ³The lamp^(F) of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house^(G) of the Lord, where the ark^(H) of God was. ⁴Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.^(I)” ⁵And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

⁷Now Samuel did not yet know^(J) the Lord: The word^(K) of the Lord had not yet been revealed^(L) to him.

⁸A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!^(M)”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.^{(N) 12}At that time I will carry out against Eli everything^(O) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[a] and he failed to restrain^(P) them. ¹⁴Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned^(Q) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁵Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

¹⁷“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide^(R) it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,^(S) if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”^(T)

¹⁹The Lord was with^(U) Samuel as he grew^(V) up, and he let none^(W) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(X) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.^(Y)

Footnotes

1. 1 Samuel 3:13 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text sons made themselves contemptible

Cross references

1. 1 Samuel 3:1 : S 1Sa 2:11
2. 1 Samuel 3:1 : Ps 74:9; La 2:9; Eze 7:26
3. 1 Samuel 3:1 : Am 8:11
4. 1 Samuel 3:2 : 1Sa 4:15
5. 1 Samuel 3:2 : S Ge 27:1
6. 1 Samuel 3:3 : Ex 25:31-38; Lev 24:1-4
7. 1 Samuel 3:3 : 1Sa 1:9
8. 1 Samuel 3:3 : Dt 10:1-5; 1Ki 6:19; 8:1
9. 1 Samuel 3:4 : S Ge 22:1; S Ex 3:4
10. 1 Samuel 3:7 : 1Sa 2:12
11. 1 Samuel 3:7 : Jer 1:2
12. 1 Samuel 3:7 : S Nu 12:6; Am 3:7
13. 1 Samuel 3:10 : Ex 3:4
14. 1 Samuel 3:11 : 2Ki 21:12; Job 15:21; Jer 19:3
15. 1 Samuel 3:12 : S 1Sa 2:27-36
16. 1 Samuel 3:13 : 1Ki 1:6
17. 1 Samuel 3:14 : S 1Sa 2:25
18. 1 Samuel 3:17 : 1Ki 22:14; Jer 23:28; 38:14; 42:4
19. 1 Samuel 3:17 : S Ru 1:17
20. 1 Samuel 3:18 : S Jdg 10:15
21. 1 Samuel 3:19 : S Ge 21:22; S Nu 14:43
22. 1 Samuel 3:19 : S Jdg 13:24
23. 1 Samuel 3:19 : 1Sa 9:6
24. 1 Samuel 3:20 : S Jdg 20:1
25. 1 Samuel 3:20 : S Dt 18:22; Eze 33:33