1 Samuel 3
Open in the reader1And the boy Heard-of-God ministered to He-Who-Is before My-Lifting-Up. Now in those days the word of He-Who-Is was rare, and visions were scarce.
2And at that time My-Lifting-Up, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room.
3Before the lamp of God had gone out, Heard-of-God was lying down in the temple of He-Who-Is, where the Chest of God was located.
4Then He-Who-Is called to Heard-of-God, and he answered, “Here I am.”
5He ran to My-Lifting-Up and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” My-Lifting-Up replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6Once again He-Who-Is called, “Heard-of-God!” So Heard-of-God got up, went to My-Lifting-Up, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” My-Lifting-Up replied. “Go back and lie down.”
7Now Heard-of-God did not yet know He-Who-Is, because the word of He-Who-Is had not yet been revealed to him.
8Once again, for the third time, He-Who-Is called to Heard-of-God. He got up, went to My-Lifting-Up, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then My-Lifting-Up realized that it was He-Who-Is who was calling the boy.
9“Go and lie down,” he said to Heard-of-God, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, He-Who-Is, for Your servant is listening.’” So Heard-of-God went and lay down in his place.
10Then He-Who-Is came and stood there, calling as before, “Heard-of-God! Heard-of-God!” And Heard-of-God answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
11Then He-Who-Is said to Heard-of-God, “I am about to do something in Strives-with-God at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle.
12On that day I will carry out against My-Lifting-Up everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.
13I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.
14Therefore I have sworn to the house of My-Lifting-Up, ‘The iniquity of My-Lifting-Up’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
15Heard-of-God lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of He-Who-Is. He was afraid to tell My-Lifting-Up the vision,
16but My-Lifting-Up called to him and said, “Heard-of-God, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Heard-of-God.
17“What was the message He gave you?” My-Lifting-Up asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
18So Heard-of-God told him everything and did not hide a thing from him. “He is He-Who-Is,” replied My-Lifting-Up. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”
19And Heard-of-God grew, and He-Who-Is was with him, and He let none of Heard-of-God’s words fall to the ground.
20So all Strives-with-God from Judge to Well-of-Oath knew that Heard-of-God was confirmed as a prophet of He-Who-Is.
21And He-Who-Is continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He-Who-Is revealed Himself to Heard-of-God by His word.