Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 3:1-20, 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 - New International Version (2024)

The Lord Calls Samuel

3The boy Samuel ministered^(A) before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;^(B) there were not many visions.^(C)

²One night Eli, whose eyes^(D) were becoming so weak that he could barely see,^(E) was lying down in his usual place. ³The lamp^(F) of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house^(G) of the Lord, where the ark^(H) of God was. ⁴Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.^(I)” ⁵And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

⁷Now Samuel did not yet know^(J) the Lord: The word^(K) of the Lord had not yet been revealed^(L) to him.

⁸A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!^(M)”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.^{(N) 12}At that time I will carry out against Eli everything^(O) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[a] and he failed to restrain^(P) them. ¹⁴Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned^(Q) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁵Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

¹⁷“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide^(R) it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,^(S) if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”^(T)

¹⁹The Lord was with^(U) Samuel as he grew^(V) up, and he let none^(W) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(X) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.^(Y)

Footnotes

1. 1 Samuel 3:13 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text sons made themselves contemptible

Cross references

1. 1 Samuel 3:1 : S 1Sa 2:11
2. 1 Samuel 3:1 : Ps 74:9; La 2:9; Eze 7:26
3. 1 Samuel 3:1 : Am 8:11
4. 1 Samuel 3:2 : 1Sa 4:15
5. 1 Samuel 3:2 : S Ge 27:1
6. 1 Samuel 3:3 : Ex 25:31-38; Lev 24:1-4
7. 1 Samuel 3:3 : 1Sa 1:9
8. 1 Samuel 3:3 : Dt 10:1-5; 1Ki 6:19; 8:1
9. 1 Samuel 3:4 : S Ge 22:1; S Ex 3:4
10. 1 Samuel 3:7 : 1Sa 2:12
11. 1 Samuel 3:7 : Jer 1:2
12. 1 Samuel 3:7 : S Nu 12:6; Am 3:7
13. 1 Samuel 3:10 : Ex 3:4
14. 1 Samuel 3:11 : 2Ki 21:12; Job 15:21; Jer 19:3
15. 1 Samuel 3:12 : S 1Sa 2:27-36
16. 1 Samuel 3:13 : 1Ki 1:6
17. 1 Samuel 3:14 : S 1Sa 2:25
18. 1 Samuel 3:17 : 1Ki 22:14; Jer 23:28; 38:14; 42:4
19. 1 Samuel 3:17 : S Ru 1:17
20. 1 Samuel 3:18 : S Jdg 10:15
21. 1 Samuel 3:19 : S Ge 21:22; S Nu 14:43
22. 1 Samuel 3:19 : S Jdg 13:24
23. 1 Samuel 3:19 : 1Sa 9:6
24. 1 Samuel 3:20 : S Jdg 20:1
25. 1 Samuel 3:20 : S Dt 18:22; Eze 33:33

⁵For what we preach is not ourselves,^(A) but Jesus Christ as Lord,^(B) and ourselves as your servants^(C) for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a](D) made his light shine in our hearts^(E) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.^(F)

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay^(G) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God^(H) and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side,^(I) but not crushed; perplexed,^(J) but not in despair; ⁹persecuted,^(K) but not abandoned;^(L) struck down, but not destroyed.^{(M) 10}We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,^(N) so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.^{(O) 11}For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,^(P) so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.^(Q)

Footnotes

1. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3

Cross references

1. 2 Corinthians 4:5 : 1Co 1:13
2. 2 Corinthians 4:5 : 1Co 1:23
3. 2 Corinthians 4:5 : 1Co 9:19
4. 2 Corinthians 4:6 : Ge 1:3; Ps 18:28
5. 2 Corinthians 4:6 : 2Pe 1:19
6. 2 Corinthians 4:6 : ver 4
7. 2 Corinthians 4:7 : Job 4:19; Isa 64:8; 2Ti 2:20
8. 2 Corinthians 4:7 : Jdg 7:2; 1Co 2:5; 2Co 6:7
9. 2 Corinthians 4:8 : 2Co 7:5
10. 2 Corinthians 4:8 : Gal 4:20
11. 2 Corinthians 4:9 : Jn 15:20; Ro 8:35
12. 2 Corinthians 4:9 : Heb 13:5
13. 2 Corinthians 4:9 : Ps 37:24; Pr 24:16
14. 2 Corinthians 4:10 : S Ro 6:6; S 2Co 1:5
15. 2 Corinthians 4:10 : S Ro 6:5
16. 2 Corinthians 4:11 : Ro 8:36
17. 2 Corinthians 4:12 : 2Co 13:9