18. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
19. Moreover his mother made him a little coat and brought it to him each year when she came up with her husband to offer the accustomed sacrifice.
20. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of the Lord. And they went unto their own home.
21. And the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
22. Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel and how they lay with the women that served at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.
23. And he said unto them, Why do ye do such things? For I hear from all the people of your evil dealings.
24. No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear that ye cause the people of the Lord to transgress.
25. If one man sins against another, the judges shall judge him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they did not hearken unto the voice of their father because the Lord had already decided to kill them.
26. And the child Samuel kept on growing and was in favour both with the Lord and also with men.
27. And a man of God came unto Eli and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I not plainly appear unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?
28. And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me, and I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings on fire of the sons of Israel.
29. Why do ye trample my sacrifices and my offerings which I have commanded to be offered in my tabernacle and honor thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30. Therefore, the Lord God of Israel said, I had said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever, but now the Lord said, It shall never be; for those that honor me I will honor, and those that lightly esteem me shall be vile.
31. Behold, the days come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy father’s house that there shall not be an old man in thy house.
32. And thou shalt see a competitor in my tabernacle in all the things in which I shall do good unto Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever.
33. I shall not totally cut off all thy men from my altar to consume thine eyes and to grieve thy soul, and all the increase of thy house shall die as young men.
34. And this shall be a sign unto thee that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die.
35. And I will raise me up a faithful priest that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my anointed {Heb. Messiah} for ever.
36. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left in thy house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into some aspect of the priesthood that I may eat a piece of bread.