1 Samuel 2:12-36

12Now the sons of Eli were 12worthless men; they did not know the Lord 133and 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 4they 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 5burn the fat 6first, and then take as much as 7you 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 8despised the offering of the Lord.

18Now 9Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy 1011wearing a linen ephod. 19And his mother would make him a little 12robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer 13the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would 14bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you 15children from this woman in place of 16the one she 17dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own 18home.

2119The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And 20the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

22Now Eli was very old; and he heard 21all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with 22the 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 23which I hear 24the Lord’s people circulating. 25If one man sins against another, 25God will mediate for him; but 26if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the 27Lord desired to put them to death.

26Now the boy 28Samuel 29was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.

27Then 30a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘31Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 2832Did 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 33give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29Why do you 34kick at My sacrifice and at My offering 35which I have commanded in My 36dwelling, and 37honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the 38choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘39I 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 40those who honor Me I will honor, and those 41who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, 42the days are coming when I will break your 43strength and the 44strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32You will see 45the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that 46I do for Israel; and an 47old man will not be in your house forever. 33Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar 48so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die 49in the prime of life. 34This will be 50the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: 51on the same day both of them will die. 35But 52I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and 53I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before 54My anointed always. 36Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a 55piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please 56assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”