1 Samuel 2:27–36

²⁷A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus the Lord has said: I revealed^r myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt when they were slaves^s to the house of Pharaoh.^{* 28}I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to offer incense, to wear an ephod before me, and I gave to the family of your ancestor all my offerings by fire^t from the Israelites.^{* 29}Why then look^u with greedy eye at my sacrifices and my offerings^v and honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?^{* 30}Therefore the Lord the God of Israel declares: I promised that your family and the family of your ancestor should go in and out before me forever, but now the Lord declares: Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be treated with contempt.^{* 31}See, a time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s family.^{w* 32}No one in your family shall ever live to old age.^{* 33}The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his^x eyes and grieve his^y heart; all the members of your household shall die by the sword.^{z 34}The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.^{* 35}I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one forever.^{* 36}Everyone who is left in your family shall come and prostrate himself before him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, ‘Please put me in one of the priest’s places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.’ ”^*