The Lord Speaks to Samuel
1-2 Samuel served the Lord by helping Eli the priest, who was by that time almost blind. In those days, the Lord hardly ever spoke directly to people, and he did not appear to them in dreams very often. But one night, Eli was asleep in his room, 3 and Samuel was sleeping on a mat near the sacred chest in the Lord's house. They had not been asleep very long 4 when the Lord called out Samuel's name.
“Here I am!” Samuel answered. 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
“I didn't call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel went back.
6 Again the Lord called out Samuel's name. Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “What do you want?”
Eli told him, “Son, I didn't call you. Go back to sleep.”
7 The Lord had not spoken to Samuel before, and Samuel did not recognize the voice. 8 When the Lord called out his name for the third time, Samuel went to Eli again and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
Eli finally realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel. 9 So he said, “Go back and lie down! If someone speaks to you again, answer, ‘I'm listening, Lord. What do you want me to do?’ ”
Once again Samuel went back and lay down.
10 The Lord then stood beside Samuel and called out as he had done before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“I'm listening,” Samuel answered. “What do you want me to do?”
11 The Lord said:
Samuel, I am going to do something in Israel that will shock everyone who hears about it! 12 I will punish Eli and his family, just as I promised. 13 He knew that his sons refused to respect me, and he let them get away with it, even though I said I would punish his family forever. 14 I warned Eli that sacrifices or offerings could never make things right! His family has done too many disgusting things.
15 The next morning, Samuel got up and opened the doors to the Lord's house. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said. 16 But Eli told him, “Samuel, my boy, come here!”
“Yes, sir!” Samuel answered.
17 Eli said, “What did God say to you? Tell me everything. I'll ask God to punish you terribly if you don't tell me every word he said!”
18 Samuel told Eli everything. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord, and he will do what's right.”
The Lord Helps Samuel
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord helped him and made everything Samuel said come true. 20 From the town of Dan in the north to the town of Beersheba in the south, everyone in the country knew that Samuel was truly the Lord's prophet. 21 The Lord often appeared to Samuel at Shiloh and told him what to say.
الربّ يدعو صموئيل
1 أمَّا صَموئيلُ الصَّبـيُّ، فكانَ يَخدُمُ الرّبَّ بإشرافِ عالي. وكانَت كلمَةُ الرّبِّ نادرةً والرُّؤى قليلَةً في ذلِكَ الزَّمانِ. 2 وفي إحدى اللَّيالي كانَ عالي الكاهنُ نائما في غُرفَتِهِ وابتدَأت عيناهُ تَضعُفانِ فلم يَقدِرْ أنْ يُبصِرَ. 3 ومِصباحُ بَيتِ اللهِ لم يَنطَفِـئْ بَعدُ، وصَموئيلُ نائما في الهيكَلِ حيثُ تابوتُ العَهدِ. 4 فدَعا الرّبُّ صَموئيلَ، فأجابَ: «ها أنا يا سيِّدي». 5 وأسرعَ إلى عالي وقالَ لَه: «دَعوتَني، فها أنا». فقالَ لَه: «ما دَعَوتُكَ. إرجِـعْ ونَمْ». فرجَعَ صَموئيلُ ونامَ. 6 فعادَ الرّبُّ ودَعا صَموئيلَ ثانيةً، فقامَ وأسرعَ إلى عالي وقالَ لَه: «دَعوتَني، فها أنا». فقالَ لَه: «ما دَعَوتُكَ يا ابني. إرجِـعْ ونَمْ». 7 ولم يكُنْ صَموئيلُ عرَفَ الرّبَّ ولا كلامُهُ انكَشَفَ لَه بَعدُ. 8 فعادَ الرّبُّ ودَعا صَموئيلَ ثالثةً، فقامَ صَموئيلُ وأسرعَ إلى عالي وقالَ لَه: «دَعوتَني، فها أنا». ففَهِمَ عالي أنَّ الرّبَّ يدعو الصَّبـيَّ، 9 فقالَ لَه: «إذهَبْ ونَمْ، وإنْ دَعاكَ صوتٌ فَقُلْ: تكلَّمْ يا ربُّ لأنَّ عبدَكَ سامِـعٌ». فذهَبَ صَموئيلُ إلى فِراشِهِ ونامَ.
10 فجاءَ الرّبُّ واقتَرَبَ مِنْ صَموئيلَ ودَعاهُ كالمرَّاتِ السَّابقةِ: «صَموئيلُ، صَموئيلُ». فأجابَ صَموئيلُ: «تَكلَّمْ يا ربُّ لأنَّ عبدَكَ سامعٌ». 11 فقالَ لَه الرّبُّ: «سأعمَلُ في إِسرائيلَ عمَلا يُذهِلُ كُلَّ مَنْ سَمِـعَ بهِ 12 في ذلِكَ اليومِ أُنفِّذُ بِنسلِ عالي كُلَّ وعيدي مِنْ أوَّلِهِ إلى آخرِهِ. 13 فأنا أنذَرْتُهُ بأنِّي سأقضي على نسلِهِ إلى الأبدِ، لأنَّهُ عَلِمَ أنَّ بَنيهِ أثِموا، ولم يَردَعْهُم. 14 ولِذلِكَ أقسمْتُ أنَّ لا ذبـيحةَ ولا تقدمةَ تُكَفِّرانِ عَنْ إثْمِ عالي ونسلِهِ إلى الأبدِ».
15 وبَقيَ صَموئيلُ نائما حتّى الصُّبحِ، ثمَّ فتحَ أبوابَ بَيتِ الرّبِّ وخافَ أنْ يكشِفَ الرُّؤيا إلى عالي. 16 فدَعاهُ عالي وقالَ لَه: «يا صَموئيلُ ابني»، فأجابَهُ صَموئيلُ: «ها أنا» 17 فقالَ لَه: «ما قالَ الرّبُّ لكَ، عاقبَكَ اللهُ وزادَ عِقابَكَ، إنْ أخفَيتَ عنِّي كلمةً مِنْ كلماتِهِ لكَ». 18 فأخبَرَهُ صَموئيلُ وما أخفى عَنهُ شيئا. فقالَ عالي: «هوَ الرّبُّ لِـيفعَلْ ما حَسُنَ في عينيهِ».
19 وكبُرَ صَموئيلُ وكانَ الرّبُّ معَهُ، ولم يُهمِلْ شيئا مِنْ جميعِ ما كلَّمَهُ بهِ. 20 وعَلِمَ بَنو إِسرائيلَ، مِن دانَ إلى بِئرِ سَبْعَ، أنَّ الرّبَّ اختارَ صَموئيلَ نبـيًّا. 21 وعادَ الرّبُّ يَتراءى في شيلوهَ، لأنَّهُ تَجلَّى لِصَموئيلَ هُناكَ وكلَّمَهُ.
