Samuel praised God in the Temple with Eli the Priest in those days. The word of God was precious, seeing that there weren't any open visions or dreams. The Lord calls out to Samuel several times, but the young boy doesn't recognize God's voice. He runs to Eli each time he hears the calling, but the priest assures him that he hasn't called him, he should instead just go back to sleep. Samuel hears the calling again and goes back to Eli. The priest then realizes that God is the likely suspect calling out to the young boy. He tells Samuel what he should do if he hears the calling again.