25. If a man sins against a man, then God can intercede for him. But if a man sins against Yahweh, who can intercede for him?” But they did not obey their father, because Yahweh wanted to kill them.
26. But the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with Yahweh and with the people.
27. Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him: “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your ancestor when they were in Egypt under the house of Pharaoh?
28. And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be a priest to me, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to bear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your ancestor all the offerings made by fire by the Israelites.
29. Why do you despise my sacrifice and my offering which I commanded for my dwelling place, while you honored your sons more than me by making yourselves fat from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel?
30. Therefore,’ declares Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘though I solemnly said that your house and the house of your ancestor would walk before me forever, but now,’ declares Yahweh, ‘far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me, I will treat with contempt!
31. Look, days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of the house of your ancestor so that no one in your house will live to old age.
32. You will look at the distress of my dwelling place, despite all the good caused for Israel, but there will never be an old man in your household forever!
33. The only one I will not cut off from my altar is you. Rather, to cause your eyes to fail and to cause your soul to grieve, all the members of your household will die as men.
34. This is the sign for you that will come regarding your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: they will both die on the same day!
35. But I will raise up for myself a reliable priest; he will do just according to what is in my heart and in my soul. I will build for him a lasting house and he will walk continually before my anointed one forever.
36. All the remainder of your household will come to bow down before him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priestly offices so that I can eat a morsel of bread.” ’ ”