Samuel’s Call

3 The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence.^(A) In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.^(B)

² One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing,^(C) was lying in his usual place. ³ Before the lamp of God had gone out,^(D) Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located.

⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel,^[a] and he answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ Once again the Lord called, “Samuel!”

Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“I didn’t call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.”

⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹ The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that will cause everyone who hears about it to shudder.^{[b](E) 12} On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end.^{(F) 13} I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are cursing God,^[c] and he has not stopped them.^{(G) 14} Therefore, I have sworn to Eli’s family: The iniquity of Eli’s family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.”^(H)

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” answered Samuel.

¹⁷ “What was the message he gave you?” Eli asked. “Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.”^{(I) 18} So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.”^(J)

¹⁹ Samuel grew.^(K) The Lord was with him,^(L) and he fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied.^{[d](M) 20} All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord.^{(N) 21} The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel by his word.^(O)

Israel’s Demand for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.^{(A) 2} His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba.^{(B) 3} However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.^(C)

⁴ So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.^{(D) 5} They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”^(E)

⁶ When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king.^{(F) 8} They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me,^[a] since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods. ⁹ Listen to them, but solemnly warn them^(G) and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”

¹⁰ Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. ¹² He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties,^(H) to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.^{(I) 15} He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. ¹⁶ He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best cattle,^[b] and your donkeys and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves,^(J) but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”^(K)

¹⁹ The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. ²⁰ Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us,^(L) and fight our battles.”

²¹ Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. ²² “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”^(M)

Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”