"Here is my child," the good mother said. "I give him now to our God, the God of Israel. So long as he lives shall he be the Lord's."
Then the priest, Eli, took the child and blessed it, and blessed the mother too; and Samuel grew up a true, honest boy, and came in time to be himself a holy priest.
One night, when Samuel lay upon his bed, he heard a voice calling, "Samuel, Samuel!"
"Here am I, Eli," Samuel answered; for he thought it was the voice of the priest.
But Eli said, "No, my son, I did not call thee."
And Samuel went and lay down upon his bed again.
Again the voice called, "Samuel, Samuel!"
And again Samuel ran to Eli's bedside, saying, "Here am I, Eli."
A third time, even, the voice called. A third time Samuel ran to Eli's bedside.
"Samuel," Eli said, when the lad came a third time, "it may be it is the voice of the Lord. Go back to thy bed; and if it speaks again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.'"