Bible Gateway passage: 1 Samuel 2:12-36 - New International Version (2024)

Eli’s Wicked Sons

¹²Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard^(A) for the Lord. ¹³Now it was the practice^(B) of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat^(C) was being boiled ¹⁴and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

¹⁶If the person said to him, “Let the fat^(D) be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”

¹⁷This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they^[a] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.^(E)

¹⁸But Samuel was ministering^(F) before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.^{(G) 19}Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual^(H) sacrifice. ²⁰Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed^(I) for and gave to^[b] the Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹And the Lord was gracious to Hannah;^(J) she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew^(K) up in the presence of the Lord.

²²Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything^(L) his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women^(M) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵If one person sins against another, God^[c] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will^(N) intercede^(O) for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

²⁶And the boy Samuel continued to grow^(P) in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.^(Q)

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

²⁷Now a man of God^(R) came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸I chose^(S) your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,^(T) and to wear an ephod^(U) in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings^(V) presented by the Israelites. ²⁹Why do you^[d] scorn my sacrifice and offering^(W) that I prescribed for my dwelling?^(X) Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

³⁰“Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(Y)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(Z) but those who despise^(AA) me will be disdained.^{(AB) 31}The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,^{(AC) 32}and you will see distress^(AD) in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.^{(AE) 33}Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants^(AF) will die in the prime of life.

³⁴“‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign^(AG) to you—they will both die^(AH) on the same day.^{(AI) 35}I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,^(AJ) who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed^(AK) one always. ³⁶Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead,^(AL) “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.^(AM)”’”

Footnotes

1. 1 Samuel 2:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text people
2. 1 Samuel 2:20 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text and asked from
3. 1 Samuel 2:25 Or the judges
4. 1 Samuel 2:29 The Hebrew is plural.

Cross references

1. 1 Samuel 2:12 : Jer 2:8; 9:6
2. 1 Samuel 2:13 : Dt 18:3
3. 1 Samuel 2:13 : Lev 7:35-36
4. 1 Samuel 2:16 : Lev 3:3, 14-16; 7:29-34
5. 1 Samuel 2:17 : ver 22, 29; S Nu 14:11; Jer 7:21; Eze 22:26; Mal 2:7-9
6. 1 Samuel 2:18 : S ver 11
7. 1 Samuel 2:18 : ver 28; 1Sa 22:18; 23:9; 2Sa 6:14; 1Ch 15:27
8. 1 Samuel 2:19 : S 1Sa 1:3
9. 1 Samuel 2:20 : S 1Sa 1:27
10. 1 Samuel 2:21 : Ge 21:1
11. 1 Samuel 2:21 : S Jdg 13:24; Lk 1:80; 2:40
12. 1 Samuel 2:22 : S ver 17
13. 1 Samuel 2:22 : S Ex 38:8
14. 1 Samuel 2:25 : Ex 4:21; Jos 11:20
15. 1 Samuel 2:25 : S Ex 32:10; S Nu 11:2; 1Sa 3:14; 1Ki 13:6; Job 9:33; Ps 106:30; Isa 1:18; 22:14; Jer 15:1; Heb 10:26
16. 1 Samuel 2:26 : S Jdg 13:24; Lk 2:52
17. 1 Samuel 2:26 : Pr 3:4
18. 1 Samuel 2:27 : S Dt 33:1; S Jdg 13:6
19. 1 Samuel 2:28 : S Ex 28:1
20. 1 Samuel 2:28 : S Ex 30:7
21. 1 Samuel 2:28 : 1Sa 22:18; 23:6, 9; 30:7
22. 1 Samuel 2:28 : Lev 7:35-36
23. 1 Samuel 2:29 : ver 12-17
24. 1 Samuel 2:29 : S Dt 12:5
25. 1 Samuel 2:30 : S Ex 29:9
26. 1 Samuel 2:30 : Ps 50:23; 91:15; Pr 8:17
27. 1 Samuel 2:30 : Isa 53:3; Na 3:6; Mal 2:9
28. 1 Samuel 2:30 : Jer 18:10
29. 1 Samuel 2:31 : 1Sa 4:11-18; 22:16
30. 1 Samuel 2:32 : 1Sa 4:3; 22:17-20; Jer 7:12, 14
31. 1 Samuel 2:32 : 1Ki 2:26-27
32. 1 Samuel 2:33 : Jer 29:32; Mal 2:12
33. 1 Samuel 2:34 : S Dt 13:2
34. 1 Samuel 2:34 : 1Sa 4:11
35. 1 Samuel 2:34 : 1Ki 13:3
36. 1 Samuel 2:35 : 2Sa 8:17; 20:25; 1Ki 1:8, 32; 2:35; 4:4; 1Ch 16:39; 29:22; Eze 44:15-16
37. 1 Samuel 2:35 : 1Sa 9:16; 10:1; 16:13; 2Sa 2:4; 12:7; 23:1; 1Ki 1:34; Ps 89:20
38. 1 Samuel 2:36 : Eze 44:10-14
39. 1 Samuel 2:36 : 1Sa 3:12; 1Ki 2:27