1 Samuel 3

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no manifest vision.	1 During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli, a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.
2 Then it happened that, on a certain day, Eli was lying in his place. And his eyes had dimmed, so that he was unable to see.	2 One day Eli was asleep in his usual place. His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.
3 And so, to prevent the lamp of God from going out, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.	3 The lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was.
4 And the Lord called Samuel. And responding, he said, “Here I am.”	4 The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am."
5 And he ran to Eli, and he said, “Here I am. For you called me.” And he said: “I did not call. Return and sleep.” And he went away, and he slept.	5 He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I did not call you," Eli said. "Go back to sleep." So he went back to sleep.
6 And again, the Lord continued to call to Samuel. And rising up, Samuel went to Eli, and he said: “Here I am. For you called me.” And he responded: “I did not call you, my son. Return and sleep.”	6 Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "You called me." But he answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep."
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not been revealed to him.	7 At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
8 And the Lord continued, and he called to Samuel still a third time. And rising up, he went to Eli.	8 The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
9 And he said: “Here I am. For you called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord had called the boy. And he said to Samuel: “Go and sleep. And if he calls to you from now on, you will say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” Therefore, Samuel went away, and he slept in his place.	9 So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
10 And the Lord came, and stood, and he called, just as he had called the other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” And Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”	10 the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I am accomplishing a word in Israel. Whoever will hear about it, both his ears will ring.	11 The LORD said to Samuel: "I am about to do something in Israel that will cause the ears of everyone who hears it to ring.
12 In that day, I will raise up against Eli all the things that I have spoken over his house. I will begin, and I will finish.	12 On that day I will carry out in full against Eli everything I threatened against his family.
13 For I have foretold to him that I will judge his house unto eternity, because of iniquity. For he had known that his sons acted shamefully, and he did not chastise them.	13 I announce to him that I am condemning his family once and for all, because of this crime: though he knew his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them.
14 For this reason, I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of his house will not be expiated, with victims or with gifts, even forever.”	14 Therefore, I swear to the family of Eli that no sacrifice or offering will ever expiate its crime."
15 Then Samuel slept until morning, and he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.	15 Samuel then slept until morning, when he got up early and opened the doors of the temple of the LORD. He feared to tell Eli the vision,
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and he said, “Samuel, my son?” And responding, he said, “I am here.”	16 but Eli called to him, "Samuel, my son!" He replied, "Here I am."
17 And he questioned him: “What is the word that the Lord has spoken to you? I beg you that you may not conceal it from me. May God do these things to you, and may he add these other things, if you hide from me one word out of all the things that were told to you.”	17 Then Eli asked, "What did he say to you? Hide nothing from me! May God do thus and so to you if you hide a single thing he told you."
18 And so, Samuel revealed to him all the words, and he did not hide them from him. And he responded: “He is the Lord. May he do what is good in his own eyes.”	18 So Samuel told him everything, and held nothing back. Eli answered, "He is the LORD. He will do what he judges best."
19 And Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, and not one of his words fell to the ground.	19 Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
20 And all of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew Samuel to be a faithful prophet of the Lord.	20 Thus all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD.
21 And the Lord continued to appear in Shiloh. For the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh, according to the word of the Lord. And the word about Samuel went forth to all of Israel.	21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh; he manifested himself to Samuel at Shiloh through his word,