5. Samuel thought Eli was calling him, so he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” So Samuel went back to bed.
6. Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” Again Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
7. Samuel did not yet know the Lord because the Lord had not spoken directly to him before.
8. The Lord called Samuel the third time. Again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” Finally, Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy.
9. Eli told Samuel, “Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I am your servant, and I am listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.
10. The Lord came and stood there. He called as he did before, saying, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak. I am your servant, and I am listening.”
11. The Lord said to Samuel, “I will soon do things in Israel that will shock anyone who hears about them.
12. I will do everything I said I would do against Eli and his family, everything from the beginning to the end.
13. I told Eli I would punish his family forever. I will do this because Eli knew his sons were saying and doing bad things against God. But he failed to control them.
14. That is why I swore an oath that sacrifices and offerings will never take away the sins of the people in Eli’s family.”