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1 Samuel 3:15
ESV Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
NIV Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
NASB So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.
CSB Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
NLT Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him.
KJV And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.
NKJV So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.

What does 1 Samuel 3:15 mean?

The Lord has initiated Samuel, still just a boy, as a prophet (1 Samuel 3:1, 7, 10). He has appeared to Samuel in the night with a prophecy against Samuel's mentor and guardian, Eli the priest of Israel (1 Samuel 3:10–14). The Lord made clear in His words to young Samuel that this message of judgment was for Eli (1 Samuel 3:13).

After receiving the message from the Lord, Samuel stayed in bed until morning, likely thinking through everything he had heard. When morning came, the boy got up and opened the doors of the house of the Lord, perhaps one of his daily duties in the temple.

Instead of taking the prophecy directly to his mentor, Samuel apparently hesitated. It's little wonder that he was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. The Lord had described the forever punishment of Eli's household for his failure to stop his own sons from blaspheming the Lord in their role as priests (1 Samuel 2:23–25, 29; 3:13). Even worse, the Lord had said that no sacrifices would be enough to atone for those sins (1 Samuel 3:14).

Surprisingly, perhaps, Eli will be the one to prompt Samuel to share what God had said (1 Samuel 3:16–17).
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