1 Samuel 2:11-36

11Then Elkanah went to his home at 1Ramah. 2But the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

12Now the sons of Eli were 34worthless men; they did not know the Lord 135and the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15Also, before 6they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.” 16If the man said to him, “They must surely 7burn the fat 8first, and then take as much as 9you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” 17Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men 10despised the offering of the Lord.

18Now 11Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy 1213wearing a linen ephod. 19And his mother would make him a little 14robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer 15the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would 16bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you 17children from this woman in place of 18the one she 19dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own 20home.

2121The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And 22the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

22Now Eli was very old; and he heard 23all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with 24the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23He said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24No, my sons; for the report is not good 25which I hear 26the Lord’s people circulating. 25If one man sins against another, 27God will mediate for him; but 28if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the 29Lord desired to put them to death.

26Now the boy 30Samuel 31was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.

27Then 32a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘33Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 2834Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me; and did I not 35give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29Why do you 36kick at My sacrifice and at My offering 37which I have commanded in My 38dwelling, and 39honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the 40choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘41I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me--for 42those who honor Me I will honor, and those 43who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, 44the days are coming when I will break your 45strength and the 46strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32You will see 47the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that 48I do for Israel; and an 49old man will not be in your house forever. 33Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar 50so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die 51in the prime of life. 34This will be 52the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: 53on the same day both of them will die. 35But 54I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and 55I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before 56My anointed always. 36Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a 57piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please 58assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”