THE BOY WHO HEARD GOD
1 Samuel 3:1-21
1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And
the word of the LORD was precious in those days; [there was] no
open vision. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli [was]
laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, [that] he
could not see; 3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple
of the LORD, where the ark of God [was], and Samuel was laid down
[to sleep]; 4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here
[am] I. 5 And 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. 6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And
Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here [am] I; for thou
didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down
again. 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the
word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. 8 And the LORD called
Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and
said, Here [am] I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that
the LORD had called the child. 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel,
Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt
say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay
down in his place. 10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as
at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for
thy servant heareth. 11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I
will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one
that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform
against Eli all [things] which I have spoken concerning his house:
when I begin, I will also make an end. 13 For I have told him
that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he
knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained
them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli,
that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with
sacrifice nor offering for ever. 15 And Samuel lay until the
morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel
feared to shew Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel, and
said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here [am] I. 17 And he
said, What [is] the thing that [the LORD] hath said unto thee? I
pray thee hide [it] not from me: God do so to thee, and more also,
if thou hide [any] thing from me of all the things that he said
unto thee. 18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing
from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth
him good. 19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did
let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from
Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel [was] established [to be] a
prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh:
for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of
the LORD.
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