1 Samuel 2:13-35

131And 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 2they 3burned 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 4burn the fat 5first, then take as much as 6you 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 7treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.

18Now 8Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy 9wearing a linen ephod. 19And his mother would make for him a little 10robe and bring it up to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer 11the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would 12bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you 13children from this woman in place of the 14one she 15requested of the Lord.” And they went to their own 16home.

211718The Lord indeed visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And 19the boy Samuel grew up 20before the Lord.

22Now Eli was very old; and he heard about 21everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and that they slept with 22the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23So he said to them, “Why are you doing such things as these, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24No, my sons; for the report is not good 23which I hear the Lord’s people circulating. 25If one person sins against another, 24God will mediate for him; but 25if a person sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the 26Lord desired to put them to death.

26Now the boy 27Samuel was continuing to grow and to be in favor both with the Lord and with people.

27Then 28a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘29Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 2830Did 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 31give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29Why are you 3233showing contempt for My sacrifice and My offering 34which I have commanded for My 35dwelling, and why are you 36honoring your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the 37choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘38I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father was to walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me--for 39those who honor Me I will honor, and those 40who despise Me will be insignificant. 31Behold, 41the days are coming when I will eliminate your 42strength and the 43strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32And you will look at 44the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that 45I do for Israel; and there will never be an 46old man in your house. 33Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar, 47so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the 48increase of your house will die 49in the prime of life. 34And this will be 50the sign to you which will come in regard to 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 My soul; and 53I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before 54My anointed always.