1 Samuel 2:12–26
12 Now the sons of Eli were 1aworthless men; they did not know the Lord
13 aand 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.
14 Then 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.
15 Also, before athey 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.”
16 If the man said to him, “They must surely 1burn the fat 2first, and then take as much as 3you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.”
17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men adespised the offering of the Lord.
Samuel before the Lord as a Boy
18 Now aSamuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy 1bwearing a linen ephod.
19 And his mother would make him a little arobe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer bthe yearly sacrifice.
20 Then Eli would abless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you 1children from this woman in place of 2the one she bdedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own 3home.
21 aThe Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And bthe boy Samuel grew before the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard aall that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with bthe women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
23 He said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?
24 “No, my sons; for the report is not good awhich I hear 1the Lord’s people circulating.
25 “If one man sins against another, aGod will mediate for him; but bif a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the cLord desired to put them to death.
26 Now the boy aSamuel 1was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.