¹² Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord^{(A) 13} or for the duties of the priests to the people. When anyone offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,^{(B) 14} and he would thrust it into the pan, kettle, caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself.^[a] This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵ Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.”^{(C) 16} And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first and then take whatever you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now; if not, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷ Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for they treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt.^(D)

The Child Samuel at Shiloh

¹⁸ Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod.^{(E) 19} His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.^{(F) 20} Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord repay^[b] you with children by this woman for the loan that she made to^[c] the Lord,” and then they would return to their home.^(G)

²¹ And^[d] the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.^(H)

Prophecy against Eli’s Household

²² Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(I) 23} He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad.^{(J) 25} If one person sins against another, someone can intercede for the sinner with the Lord,^[e] but if someone sins against the Lord, who can make intercession?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to kill them.^(K)

²⁶ Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.^(L)

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.^{(A) 2} And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.^{(B) 3} Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.^(C)

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews^[a] and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.^{(D) 16} No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him^{(A) 28} and asked him a question: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, the man^[a] shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.^{(B) 29} Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman and died childless; ³⁰ then the second^{[b] 31} and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. ³² Finally the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ³⁶ Indeed, they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.^{(C) 37} And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.^{(D) 38} Now he is God not of the dead but of the living, for to him all of them are alive.”^{(E) 39} Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ For they no longer dared to ask him another question.^(F)