24
Sons, the report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading isn't good!
25
If one person sins against another, God will take care of him. However, when a person sins against the LORD, who will pray for him?" But they wouldn't listen to their father's warning--the LORD wanted to kill them.
26
The boy Samuel continued to grow and gained the favor of the LORD and the people.
27
Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were under Pharaoh's control in Egypt.
28
I chose [one of your ancestors] out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as my priest, to sacrifice burnt offerings on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod in my presence. And I gave your ancestors the right to keep portions of the sacrifices that the people of Israel burned on the altar.
29
Why do you show no respect for my sacrifices and grain offerings that I have commanded people to make in my dwelling place? Why do you honor your sons more than me by making yourselves fat on the best of all the sacrifices offered by my people Israel?
30
"Therefore, the LORD God of Israel declares: I certainly thought that your family and your father's family would always live in my presence. "But now the LORD declares: I promise that I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me will be considered insignificant.
31
The time is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's house so that no one will grow old in your family.
32
You will see distress in my dwelling place. In spite of the good that I do for Israel, no one in your family will live to an old age.
33
Any man in your family whom I do not remove from my altar will have his eyes fail, and he will be heartbroken. And all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
34
What is going to happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you: Both of them will die on the same day.