Conclusion of A Little Boy Serves God

'Samuel!'  The voice calls a third time.  So Samuel runs to E'li. 'Here I am, for you must have called me this time,' he says.  E'li knows now that it must be Jehovah who is calling.  So he tells Samuel: 'Go lie down once more, and if he calls again, you must say: "Speak Jehovah, for your servant is listening."'

This is what Samuel says when Jehovah calls again.  Jehovah then tells Samuel that he is going to punish E'li and his sons. Later Hoph'ni and Phin'e-has die in battle with the Phi-lis'tines, and when E'li hears what has happened he falls over, breaks his neck and dies too.  So Jehovah's word come true.

Samuel grows up, and becomes the last judge of Israel.  When he grows old, the people ask him: 'Choose a king to rule over us.'  Samuel does not want to do this, because really Jehovah is their king. But Jehovah tells him to listen to the people.

1 Samuel 1:1-28; 2:11-36; 4:16-18; 8:4-9.

Next time: Saul-Israel's First King

From the jw.org publications