The Prophetic Call to Samuel

Now (A)the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord before Eli. And (B)word from the Lord was rare in those days; [a]visions were infrequent.

But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now (C)his eyesight had begun to be [b]poor and he could not see well), and (D)the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “(E)Here I am.” Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son, go back and lie down.” (F)Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 Then the Lord came and stood, and called as at the other times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, (G)I am going to do a thing in Israel, and both ears of everyone who hears about it will ring. 12 On that day (H)I will carry out against Eli everything that I have spoken in regard to his house, from beginning to end. 13 For (I)I have told him that I am going to judge his house forever for (J)the wrongdoing that he knew, because (K)his sons were bringing a curse on themselves and (L)he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that (M)the wrongdoing of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”

15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he (N)opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell (O)the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. (P)May God do the same to you, and more so, if you hide a single word from me of all the words that He spoke to you!” 18 So Samuel told him [c]everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “(Q)He is the Lord; let Him do [d]what seems good to Him.”

19 Now (R)Samuel grew, and (S)the Lord was with him, and He (T)let none of his words [e]fail. 20 And all Israel (U)from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And (V)the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, (W)because the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 3:1 Lit there was no vision spreading
  2. 1 Samuel 3:2 Lit dim
  3. 1 Samuel 3:18 Lit all the words
  4. 1 Samuel 3:18 Lit the good in His eyes
  5. 1 Samuel 3:19 Lit fall to the ground

Zophar Says the Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

“Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me [a]respond,
Even because of my [b]inward agitation.
I listened to (A)the reprimand which insults me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
Do you know this from (B)ancient times,
From the establishment of mankind on earth,
That the (C)rejoicing of the wicked is short,
And (D)the joy of the godless momentary?
Though his arrogance [c](E)reaches the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
He (F)perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him (G)will say, ‘Where is he?’
He flies away like a (H)dream, and they cannot find him;
Like a vision of the night he is (I)chased away.
The (J)eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And (K)his place no longer beholds him.
10 His (L)sons [d]favor the poor,
And his hands (M)give back his wealth.
11 His (N)bones are full of his youthful strength,
But it lies down with him [e]in the dust.

12 “Though (O)evil tastes sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he [f]desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it (P)in his [g]mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the [h]venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows riches,
But will (Q)vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
16 He sucks (R)the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
17 He does not look at (S)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He (T)returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 For he has (U)oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.

20 “Because he knew no quiet [i]within him,
He does (V)not retain anything he desires.
21 Nothing remains [j]for him to devour,
Therefore (W)his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped;
The (X)hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
23 When he (Y)fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And (Z)rain it on him [k]while he is eating.
24 He may (AA)flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
25 It is drawn and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from (AB)his gallbladder;
(AC)Terrors come upon him,
26 Complete (AD)darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned (AE)fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27 The (AF)heavens will reveal his guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The (AG)increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away (AH)on the day of His anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s (AI)portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 20:2 Lit return
  2. Job 20:2 Lit haste within me
  3. Job 20:6 Lit goes up to
  4. Job 20:10 Or seek the favor of
  5. Job 20:11 Lit on
  6. Job 20:13 Lit spares it
  7. Job 20:13 Lit palate
  8. Job 20:14 Lit gall
  9. Job 20:20 Lit in his belly
  10. Job 20:21 Or of what he devours
  11. Job 20:23 Or as his food

Overcoming the World

(A)Everyone who believes that Jesus is the [a]Christ has been (B)born of God, and everyone who loves the [b]Father (C)loves the child born of Him. (D)By this we know that (E)we love the children of God, when we love God and [c]follow His commandments. For (F)this is the love of God, that we (G)keep His commandments; and (H)His commandments are not burdensome. For [d]whoever has been (I)born of God (J)overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who (K)believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One who came (L)by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not [e]with the water only, but [f]with the water and [g]with the blood. It is (M)the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are (N)three that testify: [h]the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are [i]in agreement. (O)If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that (P)He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God (Q)has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has (R)made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us (S)eternal life, and (T)this life is in His Son. 12 (U)The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

This Is Written That You May Know

13 (V)These things I have written to you who (W)believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have (X)eternal life. 14 This is (Y)the confidence which we have [j]before Him, that, (Z)if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, (AA)we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

16 If anyone sees his brother or sister [k]committing a sin not leading to death, (AB)he shall ask and [l]God will, for him, give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. (AC)There is sin leading to death; (AD)I am not saying that he should ask about that. 17 (AE)All unrighteousness is sin, and (AF)there is sin not leading to death.

18 (AG)We know that (AH)no one who has been born of God [m]sins; but He who was born of God (AI)keeps him, and (AJ)the evil one does not (AK)touch him. 19 (AL)We know that (AM)we are of God, and that (AN)the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And (AO)we know that (AP)the Son of God has come, and has (AQ)given us understanding so that we may know (AR)Him who is true; and we (AS)are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. (AT)This is the true God and (AU)eternal life.

21 (AV)Little children, guard yourselves from (AW)idols.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 5:1 I.e., Messiah
  2. 1 John 5:1 Lit one who has fathered
  3. 1 John 5:2 Lit do
  4. 1 John 5:4 Lit everything that
  5. 1 John 5:6 Lit in
  6. 1 John 5:6 Lit in
  7. 1 John 5:6 Lit in
  8. 1 John 5:8 A few late mss add ...in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit
  9. 1 John 5:8 Lit for the one thing
  10. 1 John 5:14 Lit toward
  11. 1 John 5:16 Lit sinning
  12. 1 John 5:16 Or God will give him life, that is, to those who...
  13. 1 John 5:18 Or sins continually

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