The Family of Eli the Priest

¹² Now the sons of Eli were worthless scoundrels;^[a] they did not know^[b] Yahweh. ¹³ And the custom of the priests with the people was this: When any man brought a sacrifice,^[c] as the meat was boiling, the servant of the priest would take a three-pronged meat fork in his hand ¹⁴ and would thrust it into the pan or into the kettle or into the cauldron or into the cooking pot. All that the meat fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all of the Israelites who came there at Shiloh. ¹⁵ Also, before they offered up^[d] the fat as a burnt offering, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”^{[e] 16} And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat completely first,^[f] then take for yourself as you^[g] desire,” then he would say to him, “No!^[h] Give it now! If not, I will take it by force!” ¹⁷ So the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of Yahweh, because the men treated the offering of Yahweh with contempt.