13
The rule these cohanim followed in dealing with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the cohen's servant would come, while the meat was stewing, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
14
He would stick it in the pan, kettle, caldron or pot; and the cohen would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they dealt with all the people of Isra'el who came there to Shiloh.
15
The cohen's servant would actually come before the fat had burned to smoke and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the cohen meat he can roast; because he doesn't want your meat stewed, but raw."
16
If the man answered, "First let the fat burn to smoke, then take as much as you want," he would say, "No, give it to me now, or I'll take it by force."
17
The sin of these young men was very serious in ADONAI's view, because they treated offerings made to ADONAI with contempt.
18
But Sh'mu'el ministered in the presence of ADONAI, wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child.
19
Each year his mother would make him a little coat and bring it when she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20
'Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May ADONAI give you children from this woman because of the boy you have loaned to ADONAI"; then they would go home.
21
So ADONAI took notice of Hannah, and she conceived and bore three more sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Sh'mu'el grew in the presence of ADONAI.
22
When 'Eli was very old, he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Isra'el, and that they were having sex with the women doing service at the door of the tent of meeting.
23
He asked them, "Why are you doing things like this? I am hearing bad reports about you from all these people.