Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

The child Samuel served the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision. It came to pass at that time when Eli was laid down in his place and his eyes began to grow dim so he could not see.

And before the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, Samuel had fallen asleep. The Lord called Samuel, and he answered, "Here I am." He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me," but Eli replied, "I did not call; lie down again." He went and lay down.

Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, and he arose to go to Eli, saying, "Here I am; you called me." Eli perceived that the Lord had spoken to the child.

Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down; if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood, calling out to Samuel as he had before, saying "Samuel, Samuel." Then Samuel replied, "Speak; your servant is listening."

The Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do something in Israel that will make everyone who hears it tingle with their ears. In that day I will bring to completion all that I have declared concerning Eli's household, and when I begin, I will also finish. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever because of the wickedness he knows about, since his sons made themselves contemptible and he did not restrain them.

And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that their iniquity will not be purged by sacrifice or offering forever." Samuel lay until morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but he was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.

Eli called to Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." He replied, "Here I am." And he said, "Don't withhold from me anything that the Lord has told you; may God do to you what he will if you hide any of it from me." Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him, and said, "It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him."

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him. All Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel had been appointed by God as a prophet. The Lord appeared again in Shiloh, revealing himself to Samuel through his word.