1 Samuel 2:11-26

New American Standard Bible 1995

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to his home at ^(A)Ramah. ^(B)But the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

The Sin of Eli’s Sons

¹² Now the sons of Eli were ^[a](C)worthless men; they did not know the Lord ^13 (D)and 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 ^(E)they 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 ^[b]burn the fat ^[c]first, and then take as much as ^[d]you 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 ^(F)despised the offering of the Lord.

Samuel before the Lord as a Boy

¹⁸ Now ^(G)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy ^[e](H)wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ And his mother would make him a little ^(I)robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer ^(J)the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ Then Eli would ^(K)bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you ^[f]children from this woman in place of ^[g]the one she ^(L)dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own ^[h]home.

^21 (M)The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And ^(N)the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

²² Now Eli was very old; and he heard ^(O)all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with ^(P)the 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 ^(Q)which I hear ^[i]the Lord’s people circulating. ²⁵ If one man sins against another, ^(R)God will mediate for him; but ^(S)if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the ^(T)Lord desired to put them to death.

²⁶ Now the boy ^(U)Samuel ^[j]was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.