11. Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
12. Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord
13. or for the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling
14. and plunge it into the container or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.
15. Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you — only raw.”
16. If that man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,” the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force! ”
17. So the servants’ sin was very severe in the presence of the Lord, because they treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18. The boy Samuel served in the Lord’s presence and wore a linen ephod.
19. Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she has given to the Lord.” Then they would go home.
21. The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22. Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
23. He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people.
24. No, my sons, the report I hear from the Lord’s people is not good.
25. If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him? ” But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them.
26. By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.