1 Then Hannah A1 Sam 2:1-10; Luke 1:46-55prayed and said,

11 Then Elkanah went to his home at A1 Sam 1:1, 19Ramah. B1 Sam 1:28; 2:18; 3:1But the boy ministered to the Loʀᴅ before Eli the priest.

12 Now the sons of Eli were 1Lit sons of BelialAJer 2:8; 9:3, 6; 2 Cor 6:15worthless men; they did not know the Loʀᴅ 13 ALev 7:29-34and 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 ALev 3:3-5, 16they 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 1Lit offer up in smokeburn the fat 2Lit like the dayfirst, and then take as much as 3Lit your soulyou 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 Loʀᴅ, for the men AMal 2:7-9despised the offering of the Loʀᴅ.

18 Now A1 Sam 2:11; 3:1Samuel was ministering before the Loʀᴅ, as a boy 1Lit girded withB1 Sam 2:28; 22:18; 2 Sam 6:14; 1 Chr 15:27wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little AEx 28:31robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer B1 Sam 1:3, 21the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would ALuke 2:34bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Loʀᴅ give you 1Lit seedchildren from this woman in place of 2Lit the one asked for which was lentthe one she B1 Sam 1:11, 27, 28dedicated to the Loʀᴅ.” And they went to their own 3Lit placehome.

21 AGen 21:1The Loʀᴅ visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And BJudg 13:24; 1 Sam 2:26; 3:19-21; Luke 1:80; 2:40the boy Samuel grew before the Loʀᴅ.

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard A1 Sam 2:13-17all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with BEx 38:8the 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 A1 Kin 15:26which I hear 1Or making the Loʀᴅ’s people transgressthe Loʀᴅ’s people circulating. 25  “If one man sins against another, ADeut 1:17God will mediate for him; but BNum 15:30; 1 Sam 3:14; Heb 10:26, 27if a man sins against the Loʀᴅ, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the CJosh 11:20Loʀᴅ desired to put them to death.

26 Now the boy A1 Sam 2:21; Luke 2:52Samuel 1Lit was going on both great and goodwas growing in stature and in favor both with the Loʀᴅ and with men.

27 Then ADeut 33:1; Judg 13:6a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘BEx 4:14-16; 12:1, 43Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28  ‘AEx 28:1-4; 30:7, 8; Lev 8:7, 8Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me; and did I not BLev 7:35, 36give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29  ‘Why do you A1 Sam 2:13-17kick at My sacrifice and at My offering BDeut 12:5-9which I have commanded in My CPs 26:8dwelling, and DMatt 10:37honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the 1Or firstchoicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30  “Therefore the Loʀᴅ God of Israel declares, ‘AEx 29:9; Num 25:13I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Loʀᴅ declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for BPs 50:23those who honor Me I will honor, and those CMal 2:9who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. 31  ‘Behold, A1 Sam 4:11-18; 22:17-20the days are coming when I will break your 1Or armstrength and the 1Or armstrength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32  ‘You will see A1 Kin 2:26, 27the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that 1Lit He doesI do for Israel; and an BZech 8:4old man will not be in your house forever. 33  ‘Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar 1Lit to waste away your eyes and to grieve your soulso that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die 2Lit as menin the prime of life. 34  ‘This will be A1 Sam 10:7-9; 1 Kin 13:3the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: B1 Sam 4:11, 17on the same day both of them will die. 35  ‘But A1 Sam 3:1; 7:9; 9:12, 13I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and B1 Sam 8:3-5; 25:28; 2 Sam 7:11, 27; 1 Kin 11:38I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before C1 Sam 10:9, 10; 12:3; 16:13My anointed always. 36  ‘Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a 1Or paymentpiece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please 2Lit attachassign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”