# 1 Samuel 3 (New King James Version)
Samuel's First Prophecy

##### Chapter 3
###### 1 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; _there was_ no widespread revelation.  
###### 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli _was_ lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,  
###### 3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God _was,_ and while Samuel was lying down,  
###### 4 that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!"  
###### 5 So he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me."
And he said, "I did not call; lie down again." And he went and lay down.

###### 6 Then the Lord called yet again, "Samuel!"
So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."  
###### 7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)

###### 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you did call me."
Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy.  
###### 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

###### 10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears."

###### 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.  
###### 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.  
###### 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.  
###### 14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

###### 15 So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.  
###### 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son!"
He answered, "Here I am."

###### 17 And he said, "What _is_ the word that _the Lord_ spoke to you? Please do not hide _it_ from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you."  
###### 18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It _is_ the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him."

###### 19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.  
###### 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel _had been_ established as a prophet of the Lord.  
###### 21 Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.