3 Meanwhile young Shemuel was serving Yahweh under Eli. In those days, Yahweh rarely spoke to the people or sent visions.

2 By that time, Eli’s sight was very poor—he could barely see. One night when he was sleeping in his place,[fn] 3 and Shemuel was lying down in Yahweh’s tent (where the box was that contained the stone slabs), but God’s lamp was still burning. 4 Yahweh called out to Shemuel, and he called back, “I’m here. Coming.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.”

“I didn’t call,” he said. “Go back and lie down.” So he went back and laid down.

6 Yahweh called again, “Shemuel.”

Shemuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.”

“I didn’t call, my son,” he said, “Go back and lie down.”

7 (At this point, Shemuel didn’t really know Yahweh, because Yahweh hadn’t revealed himself to him before.) 8 Then Yahweh called Shemuel a third time. He got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, because you called me.”

Then Eli realised that it was Yahweh who was calling the boy 9 and he told Shemuel, “Go and lie down. Then if he calls to you again, just answer, ‘Speak, Yahweh, because your servant is listening.’ ” So Shemuel went and laid down again in his place.

10 Then Yahweh came and stood nearby and called like he’d done the other times, “Shemuel, Shemuel.”

“Speak,” Shemuel said, “because your servant is listening.”

11 “Listen,” Yahweh told him, “I’m about to do something in Israel that will make everyone’s ears tingle when they hear it. 12 When it happens, I’ll do everything that I’ve said about Eli and his family, from the beginning to the end. 13 I’ve told him already that I’m about to eternally judge his household because he knew about the evil that was being done, because his sons were bringing curses on themselves and he didn’t scold them. 14 That’s why I’ve promised Eli’s family that their disobedience can never be forgiven by means of sacrifices or offerings.