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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 (3:1) 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; (3:2) 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]; (3:3) That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here [am] I (3:4) 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 (3:5) 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 (3:6) Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him (3:7) 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 (3:8) 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 (3:9) And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth (3:10) 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 (3:11) 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 (3:12) 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 (3:13) 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 (3:14) And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision (3:15) Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here [am] I (3:16) 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 (3:17) 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 (3:18) And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground (3:19) And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel [was] established [to be] a prophet of the Lord (3:20) And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord
(3:21)
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