Samuel’s First Encounter with Yahweh

3 Now the boy Samuel was serving Yahweh in the presence^[a] of Eli. The word of Yahweh was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. ² And then^[b] one day when Eli was lying in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow weak so that he was not able to see) ³ and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, Samuel was lying in the temple^[c] of Yahweh where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then Yahweh called out to Samuel and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.” But he said, “I did not call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. ⁶ And Yahweh called Samuel again, so Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.” And he said, “I did not call you, my son. Go back and lie down.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know Yahweh, and the word of Yahweh had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ Again Yahweh called Samuel a third time, so he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.” Then Eli realized that Yahweh was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli said to Samuel “Go lie down. If he calls^[d] to you, then you must say, ‘Speak Yahweh, because your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ Then Yahweh came and stood there and called out as before,^[e] “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, because your servant is listening.” ¹¹ So Yahweh said to Samuel, “Look, I am doing something in Israel which will cause^[f] the two ears of everyone who hears it to tingle. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken against his household, from beginning to end.^{[g] 13} I will make him know that I am about to judge his household forever because of the iniquity that he knew, for his sons were bringing curses on themselves,^[h] but he did not rebuke them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swore to the house of Eli that the iniquity of the house of Eli would not be atoned for^[i] by sacrifice or by offering forever.”

¹⁵ So Samuel lay down until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh, but Samuel was afraid of telling the vision to Eli. ¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷ And he said, “What is the message^[j] that he spoke to you? Please do not conceal it from me. May God punish you severely^[k] if you conceal anything from me of all the words that he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him all the words and did not conceal anything from him. And he^[l] said, “He is Yahweh, he will do what is^[m] good in his sight.”^[n]

¹⁹ And Samuel grew up, and Yahweh was with him. He did not allow any of his prophecies to go unfulfilled.^{[o] 20} All Israel from Dan to Beersheba realized that Samuel was faithful^[p] as a prophet to Yahweh. ²¹ And Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh, for Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh through the word of Yahweh.

The Battle of Aphek

4 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle, and they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek.