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.
27. A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Didn’t I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh’s palace?
28. Out of all the tribes of Israel, I selected your house to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings.
29. Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than Me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.’
30. “Therefore, this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel:‘Although I saidyour family and your ancestral housewould walk before Me forever, the Lord now says, “No longer! ”I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disgraced.
31. “ ‘Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age.
32. You will see distress in the place of worship, in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age.
33. Any man from your family I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.
34. This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will die on the same day.