1 Samuel 3

¹ Forsothe Samuel knew not yit the Lord, nether the word of the Lord was shewid to hym. 2 And the Lord addide, and clepide yit Samuel the thridde tyme; which Samuel roos and yede to Heli, ³ and seide, Lo! Y; for thou clepidist me. Therfor Heli vndirstood, that the Lord clepide the child; and Heli seide to Samuel, Go and slepe; and if he clepith thee aftirward, thou schalt seie, Speke thou, Lord, for thi seruaunt herith. Therfor Samuel yede and slepte in his place. ⁴ And the Lord cam, and stood, and clepide as he hadde clepid the secunde tyme, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel seide, Speke thou, Lord, for thi seruaunt herith. ⁵ And the Lord seide to Samuel, Lo! Y make a word in Israel, which word who euer schal here, bothe hise eeris schulen rynge. ⁶ In that dai Y schal reise ayens Heli alle thingis, whiche Y spak on his hows; Y schal bigynne, and Y schal ende. ⁷ For Y biforseide to hym, that Y schulde deme his hows with outen ende for wickidnesse; for he knew, that hise sones diden vnworthili, and he chastiside not hem. ⁸ Therfor Y swoor to the hows of Heli, that the wickidnesse of his hows schal not be clensid bi sacrifices and yiftis til in to with outen ende. ⁹ Forsothe Samuel slepte til the morewtid, and he openyde the doris of the hows of the Lord; and Samuel dredde to schewe the reuelacioun to Heli. ¹⁰ Therfor Heli clepide Samuel, and seide, Samuel, my sone. And he answeride and seide, Y am redi. ¹¹ And Heli axide hym, What is the word which the Lord spak to thee? Y preye thee, hide thou not fro me; God do to thee these thingis, and encreesse these thingis, if thou hidist fro me a word of alle wordis that ben seid to thee. 12 And Samuel schewide to hym alle the wordis, and hidde not fro hym. And Heli answeride, He is the Lord; do he that, that is good in hise iyen. ¹³ Forsothe Samuel encreeside, and the Lord was with hym, and noon of alle hise wordis felde in to erthe. ¹⁴ And al Israel fro Dan to Bersabee knew, that feithful Samuel was a profete of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the Lord addide that he schulde appere in Silo, for the Lord was schewid to Samuel in Silo bi the word of the Lord; and the word of Samuel cam to al Israel. ¹⁷ And it was doon in tho daies Filisteis camen to gidere in to batel; for Israel yede out ayens Filisteis in to batel, and settiden tentis bisidis the stoon of help. Forsothe Filisteis camen in to Aphet, ¹⁸ and maden redi scheltrun ayens Israel. Sotheli whanne the batel was bigunnun, Israel turned backis to Filisteis; and as foure thousynde of men weren slayn in that batel euery where bi feeldis; and the puple of Israel turnede ayen to tentis. And the grettere men in birthe of Israel seiden, Whi hath the Lord smyte vs to dai bifore Filisteis? Brynge we to vs fro Silo the arke of boond of pees of the Lord, and come it in to the myddis of vs, that it saue vs fro the hond of oure enemyes. 20 Therfor the puple sente in to Silo, and thei token fro thennus the arke of boond of pees of the Lord of oostis, that sat on cherubyn. And Ophym and Fynees, twei sones of Heli, weren with the arke of boond of pees of the Lord. ²¹ And whanne the arke of boond of pees of the Lord hadde come in to the castels, al Israel criede with grete cry, and the erthe sownede.