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1 Samuel 2:12-36 — Eli's Wicked Sons

1Sam.2.12-36

¹²Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD. ¹³And this was the custom of the priests toward the people: whenever a man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. ¹⁴He would thrust it into the basin, or kettle, or caldron, or pot, and whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is what they did to all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵Even before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, because he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.” ¹⁶And if the man said to him, “First let them burn the fat, and then take as much as you desire,” he would say, “No, you must give it now; if not, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷So the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for they treated the LORD's offering with contempt. ¹⁸But Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him year by year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the LORD give you offspring by this woman in place of the one who was given to the LORD.” Then they would go to their own home. ²¹And the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up before the LORD. ²²Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they were lying with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting . ²³And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear from all these people about your evil deeds.” ²⁴"No, my sons; do not do this, for it is not a good report that I hear. You are causing the LORD's people to transgress. ²⁵If one man sins against another, God will arbitrate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to put them to death. ²⁶And the boy Samuel continued to grow, and he was good in the sight of both the LORD and men. ²⁷And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under the house of Pharaoh? ²⁸Did I not 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? And did I not give to your father's house all the food offerings of the people of Israel? ²⁹Why then do you scorn my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the best of every offering of Israel my people? ³⁰Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from me! For those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be lightly esteemed. ³¹Behold, days are coming when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. ³²You will look on distress in the dwelling, while good is being done to Israel, and there will not be an old man in your house all your days. ³³Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from my altar, so that your eyes fail and your soul grieve; and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of manhood. ³⁴And this will be the sign to you that will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: in one day both of them will die. ³⁵And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before my Anointed One all his days. ³⁶And everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priestly duties, so that I may eat a morsel of bread.”'

Translation Notes

4/11/2026

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