1 Samuel 2:8–28

8  pHe raiseth up the poor out of the dust,

And lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill,

qTo set them among princes,

And to make them inherit the throne of glory:

For rthe pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

And he hath set the world upon them.

9  sHe will keep the feet of his saints,

And the wicked shall be silent in darkness;

For by strength shall no man prevail.

10  The adversaries of the Lord shall be tbroken to pieces;

uOut of heaven shall he thunder upon them:

wThe Lord shall judge the ends of the earth;

And he shall give strength unto his king,

And xexalt the horn of his anointed.

11 And Elkanah went to yRamah to his house. zAnd the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.

12 Now the sons of Eli were asons of Belial; bthey knew not the Lord. 13 And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; call that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. 15 Also before they dburnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat †presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great ebefore the Lord: for men fabhorred the offering of the Lord.

18 But gSamuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, hgirded with a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him ifrom year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli kblessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the ||loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. 21 And the Lord lvisited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel mgrew before the Lord. 22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons ndid unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that †assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for ||I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people ||to transgress. 25 If one man sin against another, othe judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, pbecause the Lord would slay them. 26 And the child Samuel qgrew on, and was rin favour both with the Lord, and also with men.

27 sAnd there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, tDid I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 And did I uchoose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wwear an ephod before me? and xdid I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?