Thomson(i)
20 Now Eli had blessed Elkana, and his wife saying, The Lord grant thee seed from this woman in return for the loan which thou hast lent to the Lord. And when the man returned to his place
21 the Lord visited Anna, and she bore three sons more, and two daughters. But the lad Samuel grew up before the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old; and when he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel,
23 he said to them, Why do you act in the manner I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord?
24 Do not so my sons; for the reports which I hear are not good, that the people cannot serve God.
25 If one man sin against another, intercession can be made for him to the Lord; but if he sin against the Lord, who can intercede for him? But they hearkened not to the voice of their father, wherefore the Lord determined to destroy them.
26 But the child Samuel proceeded on, and was in favour with the Lord, and with men.
27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said, Thus saith the Lord, I revealed myself clearly to the house of thy father, when they were servants to the house of Pharao, in the land of Egypt.
28 And I chose the house of thy father out of all the sceptres of Israel, to serve me in the priest's office, to go up to my altar, and to burn incense, and wear an ephod; and I gave the house of thy father all the burnt offerings of the children of Israel for meat.
29 Why then hast thou looked with an impudent eye on my incense offerings, and on my sacrifice of flour, and honoured thy sons above me, by indulging them with the dedicated part of every sacrifice of Israel, in preference to me?
30 For this cause, thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, I said, Thy house, and the house of thy father, shall go out before me for ever; but now the Lord saith, Far be this from me; for I will honour them only who honour me. And he who despiseth me shall be despised.
31 Behold the days are coming when I will root out thy seed, and the seed of thy father's house;
32 so that thou shalt not have an old man in thy house for ever.
33 A chief man indeed for thee I will not cut off from my altar, that his eyes may fail and his soul melt; but all the rest of thy house shall fall by the sword of men.
34 And this which shall come upon thy two sons, shall be a sign to thee. Ophni and Phineas shall both be put to death on the same day.