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3 The boy Samuel served the Lord under the direction of Eli. In those days the Lord didn’t give many messages to his people. He didn’t give them many visions.
2One night Eli was lying down in his usual place. His eyes were becoming so weak he couldn’t see very well. 3Samuel was lying down in the Lord’s house. That’s where the ark of God was kept. The lamp of God was still burning. 4The Lord called out to Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5He ran over to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”
But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6Again the Lord called out, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.”
7Samuel didn’t know the Lord yet. That’s because the Lord still hadn’t given him a message.
8The Lord called out to Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “Here I am. You called out to me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If someone calls out to you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I’m listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10The Lord came and stood there. He called out, just as he had done the other times. He said, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel replied, “Speak. I’m listening.”
11The Lord said to Samuel, “Pay attention! I am about to do something terrible in Israel. It will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring.
12“At that time I will do everything to Eli and his family that I said I would. I will finish what I have started. 13I told Eli I would punish his family forever. He knew his sons were sinning. He knew they were making fun of me. In spite of that, he failed to stop them.
14“So I took an oath and made a promise to the family of Eli. I said, ‘The sins of Eli’s family will never be paid for by bringing sacrifices or offerings.’ ”
15Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision he had received. 16But Eli called out to him. He said, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
17“What did the Lord say to you?” Eli asked. “Don’t hide from me anything he told you. If you do, may God punish you greatly.”
18So Samuel told him everything. He didn’t hide anything from him.
Then Eli said, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is best.”
19As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him. He made everything Samuel said come true. 20So all of the people of Israel recognized that Samuel really was a prophet of the Lord. Everyone from Dan all the way to Beersheba knew it.
21The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh. There he made himself known to Samuel through the messages he gave him.
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About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
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