²⁷ Then a ^(A)man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ^(B)‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? ²⁸ Did I not ^(C)choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And ^(D)did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? ²⁹ Why do you ^(E)kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My ^(F)dwelling place, and honor your sons more than ^(G)Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’ ³⁰ Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ^(H)‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ^(I)‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and ^(J)those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. ³¹ Behold, ^(K)the days are coming that I will cut off your ^[a]arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. ³² And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be ^(L)an old man in your house forever. ³³ But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. ³⁴ Now this shall be ^(M)a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: ^(N)in one day they shall die, both of them. ³⁵ Then ^(O)I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. ^(P)I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before ^(Q)My anointed forever.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits^(A)

^15 (B)“Beware of false prophets, ^(C)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ^16 (D)You will know them by their fruits. ^(E)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, ^(F)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (G)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

I Never Knew You^(H)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ^(I)‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who ^(J)does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we ^(K)not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And ^(L)then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; ^(M)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Build on the Rock^(N)

²⁴ “Therefore ^(O)whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”