1 Samuel 2:11-26

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah . But the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest .

The Sins of Eli's Sons

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless men ; they did not know the Lord ¹³ 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 e 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 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 e raw ." ¹⁶ If the man said to him, "They must surely burn the fat first , and then take as much as 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 despised the offering of the Lord . ¹⁸ Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord , as a boy wearing a linen ephod . ¹⁹ And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice . ²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say , "May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she dedicated e to the Lord ." And they went to their own home . ²¹ The Lord visited Hannah ; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters . And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord . ²² Now Eli was very old ; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel , and how e they lay with 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 which I hear the Lord'S people circulating . ²⁵ "If one man sins against another , God will mediate 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 , for the Lord desired to put them to death . ²⁶ Now the boy Samuel was growing e in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men .