14. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”
15. Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the lord had said to him.
16. But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”“Here I am,” Samuel replied.
17. “What did the lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!”
18. So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”
19. As Samuel grew up, the lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.
20. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the lord.
21. The lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.