11. Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah. But the boy was serving the Lord under the supervision of Eli the priest.
12. The sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not recognize the Lord’s authority.
13. Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way: Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
14. He would jab it into the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot, and everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all the Israelites when they came there to Shiloh.
15. Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice, “Hand over some meat for the priest to roast! He won’t take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16. If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No! Hand it over right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”
17. The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18. Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord. The boy was dressed in a linen ephod.
19. His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him at regular intervals when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice.