1 Samuel 3:18

THE MESSAGE

So Samuel told him, word for word. He held back nothing. Eli said, "He is God . Let him do whatever he thinks best."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.”

Hebrew Names Version
Shemu'el told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. He said, It is the LORD: let him do what seems him good.

King James Version
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord : let him do what seemeth him good.

Lexham English Bible
So Samuel told him all the words and did not conceal anything from him. And he said, "He is Yahweh, he will do what is good in his sight."

English Standard Version
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord . Let him do what seems good to him."

New Century Version
So Samuel told Eli everything and did not hide anything from him. Then Eli said, "He is the Lord . Let him do what he thinks is best."

New English Translation
So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli said, "The Lord will do what he pleases."

Amplified Bible
So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. And Eli said, "It is the LORD; may He do what seems good to Him."

New American Standard Bible
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "He is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him."

Geneva Bible (1587)
So Samuel tolde him euery whit, and hid nothing from him. Then hee said, It is the Lorde: let him do what seemeth him good.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is Yahweh; let Him do what seems good in His eyes."

Contemporary English Version
Samuel told Eli everything. Then Eli said, "He is the Lord , and he will do what's right."

Complete Jewish Bible
So Sh'mu'el told him every word and hid nothing. ‘Eli replied, "It is Adonai ; let him do what seems good to him."

Darby Translation
And Samuel told him all the words, and kept nothing back from him. And he said, It is Jehovah: let him do what is good in his sight.

Easy-to-Read Version
So Samuel told Eli everything. He did not hide anything from him. Eli said, "He is the Lord . Let him do whatever he thinks is right."

George Lamsa Translation
And Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, It is the LORD; let him do what is good in his sight.

Good News Translation
So Samuel told him everything; he did not keep anything back. Eli said, "He is the Lord ; he will do whatever seems best to him."

Literal Translation
And Samuel told him all the words, and did not hide from him. And he said, It is Jehovah; He does that which is good in His eyes.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then Samuel tolde him alltogether, & hyd nothinge from him. He sayde: It is the LORDE, let him do what pleaseth him.

American Standard Version
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is Jehovah: let him do what seemeth him good.

Bible in Basic English
Then Samuel gave him an account of everything, keeping nothing back. And he said, It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Samuel tolde hym euerywhyt, and hyd nothyng from hym. And he saide: It is the Lord, let hym do what seemeth hym good.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Samuel told him all the words, and hid nothing from him. And he said: 'It is the LORD; let Him do what seemeth Him good.'

King James Version (1611)
And Samuel tolde him euery whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: Let him doe what seemeth him good.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Samuel reported all the words, and hid them not from him. And Heli said, He is the Lord, he shall do that which is good in his sight.

English Revised Version
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

Berean Standard Bible
So Samuel told him everything and did not hide a thing from him. "He is the LORD," replied Eli. "Let Him do what is good in His eyes."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
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.

Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel declareth to him the whole of the words, and hath not hid from him; and he saith, `It [is] Jehovah; that which is good in His eyes He doth.'

Update Bible Version
And Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is Yahweh: he will do what seems good to him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

World English Bible
Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. He said, It is Yahweh: let him do what seems him good.

New King James Version
Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him."

New Living Translation
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."

New Life Bible
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, "It is the Lord. Let Him do what is good in His eyes."

New Revised Standard
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, "It is the Lord ; let him do what seems good to him."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Samuel told him all the words, and hid nothing from him. And he said, Yahweh, he is; what is good in his own eyes, let him do.

Douay-Rheims Bible
So Samuel told him all the words, and did not hide them from him. And he answered: It is the Lord: let him do what is good in his sight.

Revised Standard Version
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him."

Contextual Overview

¹¹ God said to Samuel, "Listen carefully. I'm getting ready to do something in Israel that is going to shake everyone up and get their attention. The time has come for me to bring down on Eli's family everything I warned him of, every last word of it. I'm letting him know that the time's up. I'm bringing judgment on his family for good. He knew what was going on, that his sons were desecrating God's name and God's place, and he did nothing to stop them. This is my sentence on the family of Eli: The evil of Eli's family can never be wiped out by sacrifice or offering." ¹⁵ Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then rose early and went about his duties, opening the doors of the sanctuary, but he dreaded having to tell the vision to Eli. ¹⁶ But then Eli summoned Samuel: "Samuel, my son!" Samuel came running: "Yes? What can I do for you?" ¹⁷ "What did he say? Tell it to me, all of it. Don't suppress or soften one word, as God is your judge! I want it all, word for word as he said it to you." ¹⁸ So Samuel told him, word for word. He held back nothing. Eli said, "He is God . Let him do whatever he thinks best."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

every whit: Heb. all the things, or, words, Whit, or wid, comes from the Anglo-Saxon wiht, which signifies person, thing, etc.: every whit is every thing: equivalent to every jot.

It is the Lord: Genesis 18:25, Judges 10:15, 2 Samuel 16:10-12, Job 1:21, Job 2:10, Psalms 39:9, Isaiah 39:8, Lamentations 3:39, 1 Peter 5:6

Reciprocal: Leviticus 10:3 - Aaron Joshua 9:25 - as it seemeth 1 Samuel 22:3 - till I know 2 Samuel 10:12 - the Lord 2 Samuel 14:18 - Hide not 2 Samuel 15:26 - let 2 Kings 4:26 - It is well 2 Kings 20:19 - Good 1 Chronicles 19:13 - let the Lord Jeremiah 34:6 - General Jeremiah 38:14 - I will Jeremiah 42:4 - I will keep Daniel 4:35 - and he Jonah 4:8 - and wished Micah 7:9 - bear Acts 21:14 - The will James 4:7 - Submit

Cross-References

Genesis 3:14
God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I'm declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel."

Job 1:21
Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed.

Psalms 90:3
So don't return us to mud, saying, "Back to where you came from!" Patience! You've got all the time in the world—whether a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you. Are we no more to you than a wispy dream, no more than a blade of grass That springs up gloriously with the rising sun and is cut down without a second thought? Your anger is far and away too much for us; we're at the end of our rope. You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed since we were children is entered in your books. All we can remember is that frown on your face. Is that all we're ever going to get? We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard. Who can make sense of such rage, such anger against the very ones who fear you?

Proverbs 22:5
The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick; if you know what's good for you, stay clear of it.

Isaiah 7:23
But that's not the end of it. This country that used to be covered with fine vineyards—thousands of them, worth millions!—will revert to a weed patch. Weeds and thornbushes everywhere! Good for nothing except, perhaps, hunting rabbits. Cattle and sheep will forage as best they can in the fields of weeds—but there won't be a trace of all those fertile and well-tended gardens and fields.

Jeremiah 4:3
Here's another Message from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow your unplowed fields, but then don't plant weeds in the soil! Yes, circumcise your lives for God's sake. Plow your unplowed hearts, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem. Prevent fire—the fire of my anger— for once it starts it can't be put out. Your wicked ways are fuel for the fire.

Matthew 13:7
A Harvest Story At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories. "What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?" The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?" He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it. I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them. "But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance. "Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. "The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. "The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. "The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too. "The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?' "He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?' "He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'" Another story. "God's kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it." Another story. "God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises." All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy: I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open things hidden since the world's first day. Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. "The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening? "God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. "Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it. "Or, God's kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good." Jesus asked, "Are you starting to get a handle on all this?" They answered, "Yes." He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it." When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise, get such ability?" But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?" They got their noses all out of joint. But Jesus said, "A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family." He didn't do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.

Romans 14:2
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him,.... And so approved himself to be a faithful prophet of God, and man of God, as he is afterwards called; the whole counsel of God is to be declared by his servants the prophets, and the ministers of his word; nothing is to be concealed, which it is the will of God should be made known, whether it be pleasing or displeasing to man:

and he said, it is the Lord; that has said it, and there is nothing to be said against it, and that will do it; and there is no resisting him: or "the Lord is he" w; who has a sovereign right to all his creatures, and may dispose of them as he pleases; he is all wise, and does all things well; he is holy and righteous in all his ways and works, and there is no unrighteousness in him; he is faithful to his word, whether in a way of promise or threatening; and all he does to his people is in love, mercy, and kindness:

let him do what seemeth him good; not what seems good to men, or is so in their esteem, but what seems good to the Lord, who knows what is best for his people, and can do nothing but what is good; all is good he does; there is nothing but goodness in him, and nothing but goodness comes from him; he does good, and nothing else, and even when he afflicts his people; all he does is well done in creation, providence, and grace: and Eli's desire is, that he would fulfil the good pleasure of his will; he appears to be in an excellent temper, not surly and morose, taking it ill that such a message should be sent him by a child; nor was he unaffected with the case of his family, but humbly submitted to the will of God, and acquiesces in it as good, and neither arraigns his justice, nor murmurs at his providences.

w יהוה הוא κυριος αυτος, Sept. "Dominus ipse", Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is the Lord ... - Compare the devout submission of Aaron Leviticus 10:3, and of Hezekiah 2 Kings 20:19. And, for the highest conceivable submission to the will of God, compare Luke 22:42.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 3:18. Samuel told him every whit — Our word whit, or wid, comes from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.], which signifies person, thing, c. every whit is every thing. The Hebrew את כל הדברים et col haddebarim, "all these words."

It is the Lord — He is Sovereign, and will do what he pleases; he is righteous, and will do nothing but what is just.

Let him do what seemeth him good. — There is much of a godly submission, as well as a deep sense of his own unworthiness, found in these words. He also had sinned, so as to be punished with temporal death; but surely there is no evidence that the displeasure of the Lord against him was extended to a future state.