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1 Samuel 2:12-26
New King James Version
1 Samuel 2:12-26
New King James Version
The Wicked Sons of Eli
12 Now the sons of Eli were (A)corrupt;[a] (B)they did not know the Lord. 13 And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. 14 Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in (C)Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before they (D)burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.”
16 And if the man said to him, “They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,” he would then answer him, “No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.”
17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great (E)before the Lord, for men (F)abhorred[b] the offering of the Lord.
Samuel’s Childhood Ministry
18 (G)But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, (H)wearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she (I)came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli (J)would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the [c]loan that was (K)given to the Lord.” Then they would go to their own home.
21 And the Lord (L)visited[d] Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel (M)grew before the Lord.
Prophecy Against Eli’s Household
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, [e]and how they lay with (N)the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress. 25 If one man sins against another, (O)God[f] will judge him. But if a man (P)sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, (Q)because the Lord desired to kill them.
26 And the child Samuel (R)grew in stature, and (S)in favor both with the Lord and men.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Lit. sons of Belial
- 1 Samuel 2:17 despised
- 1 Samuel 2:20 gift
- 1 Samuel 2:21 attended to
- 1 Samuel 2:22 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX omit rest of verse
- 1 Samuel 2:25 Tg. the Judge
1 Samuel 2:12-26
New International Version
1 Samuel 2:12-26
New International Version
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard(A) for the Lord. 13 Now 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 14 and 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. 15 But 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.”
16 If 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.”
17 This 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)
18 But 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. 20 Eli 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. 21 And 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.
22 Now 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. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If 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.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow(P) in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.(Q)
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text people
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text and asked from
- 1 Samuel 2:25 Or the judges
New King James Version (NKJV) 
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