18. But Samuel served the Lord. He was a helper who wore the linen ephod.
19. Every year Samuel’s mother made a robe for Samuel. She took the little robe to Samuel when she went up to Shiloh with her husband for the sacrifice every year.
20. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, “May the Lord give you more children through Hannah who will take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Elkanah and Hannah went home.
21. The Lord was kind to Hannah, and she had three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the holy place near the Lord.
22. Eli was very old. He heard about the bad things his sons were doing to the Israelites at Shiloh and how his sons were having sexual relations with the women who served at the door of the Meeting Tent.
23. Eli said to his sons, “The people here told me about the evil things you have done. Why are you doing such things?
24. Sons, stop that! The Lord’S people are saying bad things about you.
25. If you sin against other people, God might protect you. But who can help you if you sin against the Lord?” Eli’s sons refused to listen to him, so the Lord decided to kill them.
26. The boy Samuel kept growing. He was pleasing to the Lord and to the people.