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1 Samuel 2:12-17
New International Version
1 Samuel 2:12-17
New International Version
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard(A) for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice(B) of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat(C) was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat(D) be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they[a] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.(E)
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text people
1 Samuel 2:12-17
International Standard Version
1 Samuel 2:12-17
International Standard Version
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men who did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that whenever a person offered a sacrifice, a servant[a] of the priest would come with a three pronged fork in his hand while the meat was boiling, and[b] 14 he would stick it into the boiler or pot,[c] and take everything[d] the fork brought up—that is, the priest would take it for himself. This is what they were supposed to do with all the Israelis who came there to Shiloh. 15 But even before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, “Give me meat to roast for the priest. He won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the man told him[e], “They must surely[f] burn up the fat first, and then take for yourself whatever[g] you desire,” the servant would say, “No,[h] give it now, and if you don’t,[i] I’ll take it by force!”[j] 17 By doing this, the sin of the young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight because the men[k] despised the Lord’s offering.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:13 Lit. lad
- 1 Samuel 2:13 So 4QSama; 4QSama reads and take; MT LXX read when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the meat was boiling with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
- 1 Samuel 2:14 So 4QSama; MT reads the pan, kettle, caldron, or pot; LXX reads the caldron, kettle, or pot
- 1 Samuel 2:14 So 4QSama; MT LXX read the priest took for himself
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama reads man answered and told the priest’s servant; LXX reads man who was making the sacrifice told him
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama reads Let the priest LXX reads Let him
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama LXX read everything
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit. Rather
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT LXX; 4QSama now, or
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads now, or I’ll take the ram by force to give him the meat
- 1 Samuel 2:17 So MT; 4QSama LXX read because they
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International Standard Version (ISV) 
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