Chapter 3

  And the boy Samuel ministered to Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was rare in those days; a vision was not frequent.  

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  And it came to pass at that time, when Eli lay in his place (now his eyes began to grow dim, he could not see),  

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  and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel lay in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was,  

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  that Jehovah called to Samuel. And he said, Here am I.  

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  And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I did not call: lie down again. And he went and lay down.  

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  And Jehovah called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I did not call, my son: lie down again.  

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  Now Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, neither had the word of Jehovah yet been revealed to him.  

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  And Jehovah called again the third time, Samuel! And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And Eli perceived that Jehovah was calling the boy.  

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  And Eli said to 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.  

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  And Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant heareth.  

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

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  In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house; I will begin and make an end.  

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  For I have declared to him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he hath known: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.  

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  And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice or oblation for ever.  

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

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

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  And he said, What is the word that he has spoken to thee? I pray thee, keep it not back from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou keep back anything from me of all the word that he spoke to thee.  

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  And Samuel told him all the words, and kept nothing back from him. And he said, It is Jehovah: let him do what is good in his sight.  

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

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

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

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