1 Samuel 2:22-36 ▼

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel (and how that they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting).

23 And he said to them, |Why do you do such things as these that I hear being said of you from the mouth of the people of the LORD?

24 No, my sons, do not do this. For it is not a good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading.

25 If one man sins against another, he shall appeal to the LORD; but if a man sins against the LORD, who shall entreat for him?| But, they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the LORD intended to kill them.

26 The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with the LORD, and also with men.

27 A man of God came to Eli, and said, |Thus says the LORD, I plainly revealed myself to the house of your father, when they were slaves in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh.

28 And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod. And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel as food.

29 Then why do you look at my sacrifice and my offering with a selfish eye, and honor your sons more than me in letting them eat from the first part of every offering of Israel before me?|

30 Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, says, |I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me forever.' But now the LORD says, 'Be it far from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

31 Look, the days come, that I will cut off your descendants, and the descendants of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.

32 And you will see distress in the dwelling place, in all that he does good with Israel. And there will not be an old man in your house all the days.

33 And the man of yours I do not cut off from my altar will be to cause his eyes to fail and to grieve his soul, and all the increase of your house will die by the sword of men.

34 |'This shall be the sign to you, that shall come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die.

35 I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before my anointed forever.

36 It shall happen, that everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, |Please put me into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.|'|