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1 Samuel

Tells about Samuel, the last judge, and the beginning of Israel's monarchy with King Saul and young David.

Chapter 3

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1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

*Samuel, the child, served God under Eli. In those days, God's words were very valuable; no clear visions were shown.

2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

*At that time, when Eli was resting in his spot and his eyes started to get weak, he couldn't see anymore.

3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

*Before God's lamp in the Lord's temple went out, where the sacred chest was, and Samuel fell asleep.

4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

*The LORD called out to Samuel, and he replied, "Here I am."

5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

*He rushed to Eli and said, "I'm here, because you called me." But Eli replied, "I didn't call you; go back to sleep." So he returned and lay down again.

6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

*And the LORD called Samuel once more. So, Samuel got up and went to Eli, telling him, "Here I am because you called me." But Eli replied, "I didn't call you, my son; go back to sleep."

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

*Samuel had not yet learned about God, and God's message had not been shared with him yet.

8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

*And the LORD called Samuel a third time. He got up and went to Eli, saying, "Here I am, because you called me." Eli realized that it was the LORD who called the child.

9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

*So, Eli told Samuel to go rest. If someone called him, Samuel was to ask them to speak, saying "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Then, Samuel did as he was told and rested in his spot.

10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

*And the Lord appeared, stood, and called out like before, "Samuel, Samuel." Samuel replied, "Go ahead and speak, because your servant is listening."

11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

*And God told Samuel, Look, I am going to do something in Israel that will make everyone who hears about it's ears tingle.

12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

*On that day, I will carry out everything I said about Eli and his family. When I start, I will also finish it.

13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

*Because I warned him, I'll judge his family forever for their wrongdoing, since he knew about it. His sons did terrible things, but he didn't stop them.

14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

*So, I promised the family of Eli that their wrongdoings cannot be fixed by sacrifices or offerings forever.

15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

*Samuel stayed overnight and later opened the doors of the Lord's house. He was afraid to tell Eli about his vision.

16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

*Then Eli spoke to Samuel, "Samuel, my son." And Samuel replied, "I'm here."

17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

*He asked, "What did the Lord tell you?" Please don't hide it from me. May God punish you if you hide anything from me about what He said to you.

18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

*Samuel shared everything with him and didn't keep anything hidden. He said, "It is the Lord; let Him do as He thinks is best."

19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

*As Samuel got bigger, God was by his side, making sure his words had an impact.

20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.

*All of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, understood that Samuel was chosen to be a prophet for God.

21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

*Then God showed up once more in Shiloh, because He spoke to Samuel there, making Himself known.

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* work in progress, there will be mistakes

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