1 Samuel 2:11-20

11Then Elkanah went to his home at 1Ramah. 2But the boy continued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.

12Now the sons of Eli were 34useless men; they did not know the Lord. 135And this was the custom of the priests with the people: when anyone was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14And he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; everything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. They did so in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15Also, before 6they 7burned 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 cooked meat from you, only raw.” 16And if the man said to him, “They must 8burn the fat 9first, then take as much as 10you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you must give it to me now; and if not, I am taking it by force!” 17And so the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men 11treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.

18Now 12Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy 13wearing a linen ephod. 19And his mother would make for him a little 14robe and bring it up 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 the 18one she 19requested of the Lord.” And they went to their own 20home.