19
Additionally, every year his mother would make him a little robe cut to his size and bring it to him when she and her husband came for the annual sacrifice.
20
Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "God give you children to replace this child you have dedicated to God." Then they would go home.
21
God was most especially kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters! The boy Samuel stayed at the sanctuary and grew up with God. A Hard Life with Many Tears
22
By this time Eli was very old. He kept getting reports on how his sons were ripping off the people and sleeping with the women who helped out at the sanctuary.
23
Eli took them to task: "What's going on here? Why are you doing these things? I hear story after story of your corrupt and evil carrying on.
24
Oh, my sons, this is not right! These are terrible reports I'm getting, stories spreading right and left among God's people!
25
If you sin against another person, there's help - God's help. But if you sin against God, who is around to help?"
26
But the boy Samuel was very much alive, growing up, blessed by God and popular with the people.
27
A holy man came to Eli and said: "This is God's message: I revealed myself openly to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt.
28
Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests: to preside at the altar, to burn incense, to wear the priestly robes in my presence. I put your ancestral family in charge of all the sacrificial offerings of Israel.
29
So why do you now treat as mere loot these very sacrificial offerings that I commanded for my worship? Why do you treat your sons better than me, turning them loose to get fat on these offerings, and ignoring me?