Eli's Worthless Sons 12Now the sons of Eli wereworthless men.They did not know theLord.13The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,14and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.15Moreover,before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.16And if the man said to him, Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish, he would say, No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.17Thus the sin of the young men was very greatin the sight of theLord,for the men treated the offering of theLordwith contempt. 18Samuel was ministering before theLord, a boyclothed with a linen ephod.19And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each yearwhen she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.20Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, May theLordgive you children by this womanfor the petition she asked of theLord. So then they would return to their home. 21Indeed theLordvisited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters.And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of theLord. Eli Rebukes His Sons 22Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women whowere serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.23And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.24No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of theLordspreading abroad.25If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against theLord, who can intercede for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father,for it was the will of theLordto put them to death. 26Now the boy Samuelcontinued to grow both in stature and in favor with theLordand also with man. TheLordRejects Eli's Household 27And there camea man of God to Eli and said to him, Thus says theLord,Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh?28Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,to wear an ephod before me?I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.29Why then do youscorn[a]my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?30Therefore theLord, the God of Israel, declares:I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,but now theLorddeclares: Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.31Behold,the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.32Thenin distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel,and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.33The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his[b]eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants[c]of your house shall die by the sword of men.[d]34And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall dieon the same day.35And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind.And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out beforemy anointed forever.36And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.