1 Samuel 2:22-33

2:22 Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel 1  and how they used to have sex with 2  the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 2:23 He said to them, “Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these 3  people. 2:24 This ought not to be, 4  my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good. 2:25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a man sins against the Lord, who then will intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons 5  would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided 6  to kill them.

2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.

The Lord Judges the House of Eli

2:27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not plainly 7  reveal myself to your ancestor’s 8  house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh? 2:28 I chose your ancestor 9  from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 2:29 Why are you 10  scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place? 11  You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’

2:30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say 12  that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve 13  me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be! 14  For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! 2:31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength 15  and the strength 16  of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! 2:32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place! 17  Israel will experience blessings, 18  but there will not be an old man in your 19  house for all time. 20  2:33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your 21  eyes to fail 22  and will cause you grief. 23  All of those born to your family 24  will die in the prime of life. 25 

1 tn Heb “to all Israel.”

2 tn Heb “lie with.”

3 tc For “these” the LXX has “of the Lord” (κυρίου, kuriou), perhaps through the influence of the final phrase of v. 24 (“the people of the Lord”). Somewhat less likely is the view that the MT reading is due to a distorted dittography of the first word of v. 24. The Vulgate lacks the word.

4 tn Heb “no.”

5 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Eli’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

6 tn Heb “desired.”

7 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

8 tn Heb “to your father’s” (also in vv. 28, 30).

9 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

10 tc The MT has a plural “you” here, but the LXX and a Qumran ms have the singular. The singular may be the correct reading; the verb “you have honored” later in the verse is singular even in the MT. However, it is more probable that the Lord here refers to Eli and his sons. Note the plural in the second half of the verse (“you have made yourselves fat”).

11 tn Heb “which I commanded, dwelling place.” The noun is functioning as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb. Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation.

12 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

13 tn Heb “walk about before.”

14 tn Heb “may it be far removed from me.”

15 tn Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.

16 tn Heb “arm.”

17 tn Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).

18 tn Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”

19 tc The LXX and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.

20 tn Heb “all the days.”

21 tc The LXX, a Qumran ms, and a few old Latin mss have the third person pronominal suffix “his” here.

22 tn Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).

23 tn Heb “and to cause your soul grief.”

24 tn Heb “and all the increase of your house.”

25 tc The text is difficult. The MT literally says “they will die [as] men.” Apparently the meaning is that they will be cut off in the prime of their life without reaching old age. The LXX and a Qumran ms, however, have the additional word “sword” (“they will die by the sword of men”). This is an easier reading (cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but that fact is not in favor of its originality.