Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 29th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Samuel 2:23

Eli said to his sons, "The people here told me about the evil things you have done. Why are you doing such things?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Eli;   Hophni;   Judge;   Obduracy (Hardness);   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Eli;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Priest, Priesthood;   Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Holman Bible Dictionary - High Priest;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mary;   Priests and Levites;   Samuel, Books of;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Hannah;   Hophni;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abner;   Eli;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'li;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Samuel the Prophet;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - High Priest;   Hophni;   Johanan B. Zakkai;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people.
Hebrew Names Version
He said to them, Why do you such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
King James Version
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
Lexham English Bible
And he asked them, "Why are you doing all these things that I am hearing, namely, your evil dealings with all these people?
English Standard Version
And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.
New Century Version
Eli said to his sons, "Why do you do these evil things that the people tell me about?
New English Translation
He said to them, "Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these people.
Amplified Bible
Eli said to them, "Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?
New American Standard Bible
So he said to them, "Why are you doing such things as these, the evil things that I hear from all these people?
Geneva Bible (1587)
And hee saide vnto them, Why doe ye such things? for of all this people I heare euill reportes of you.
Legacy Standard Bible
So he said to them, "Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?
Contemporary English Version
"Why are you doing these awful things?" he asked them. "I've been hearing nothing but complaints about you from all of the Lord 's people.
Complete Jewish Bible
He asked them, "Why are you doing things like this? I am hearing bad reports about you from all these people.
Darby Translation
And he said to them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil deeds from all this people.
George Lamsa Translation
And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear evil reports about you from all this people.
Good News Translation
So he said to them, "Why are you doing these things? Everybody tells me about the evil you are doing.
Literal Translation
And he said to them, Why do you do things like these? For I am hearing of your evil doings from all these people.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and he sayde vnto them: wherfore do ye this? For I heare of youre euell conuersacion of all this people.
American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
Bible in Basic English
And he said to them, Why are you doing such things? for from all this people I get accounts of your evil ways.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he saide vnto them: Why do ye such thinges? For of all these people I heare euill reportes of you.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said unto them: 'Why do ye such things? for I hear evil reports concerning you from all this people.
King James Version (1611)
And he said vnto them, Why doe ye such things? for I heare of your euil dealings, by all this people.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said to them, Why do ye according to this thing, which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord?
English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
Berean Standard Bible
"Why are you doing these things?" Eli said to his sons. "I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, Whi doen ye siche thingis, the worste thingis whiche Y here of al the puple?
Young's Literal Translation
and he saith to them, `Why do ye things like these? for I am hearing of your evil words from all the people -- these!
Update Bible Version
And he said to them, Why do you do such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
World English Bible
He said to them, Why do you such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
New King James Version
So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.
New Living Translation
Eli said to them, "I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning?
New Life Bible
And he said to them, "Why do you do such things, the sinful things I hear from all these people?
New Revised Standard
He said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he said to them, Wherefore should ye do such things as these? for I keep hearing of your wicked doings, from all these people.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to them: Why do ye these kinds of things, which I hear, very wicked things, from all the people?
Revised Standard Version
And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said to them, "Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?

Contextual Overview

11 Elkanah and his family went home to Ramah, but the boy stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under Eli the priest. 12 Eli's sons were evil men who did not care about the Lord . 13 They did not care about how priests were supposed to treat people. Whenever someone brings a sacrifice, priests are supposed to put the meat in a pot of boiling water. Then their servant is supposed to get the three-pronged fork 14 and use it to get some meat out of the pot or kettle. The priest is supposed to take whatever his helper removes from the pot with the special fork. This is what the priests should have done for the Israelites who came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh. 15 But that is not what the sons of Eli did. Even before the fat was burned on the altar, their servant would go to the people offering sacrifices and say, "Give the priest some meat to roast. The priest won't accept boiled meat from you." 16 Maybe the man offering the sacrifice would say, "Burn the fat first, and then you can take whatever you want." But the servant would answer: "No, give me the meat now. If you don't give it to me, I'll take it from you!" 17 In this way Hophni and Phinehas showed that they did not respect the offerings made to the Lord . This was a terrible sin against the Lord . 18 But Samuel served the Lord . He was a helper who wore the linen ephod. 19 Every year Samuel's mother made a robe for Samuel. She took the little robe to Samuel when she went up to Shiloh with her husband for the sacrifice every year. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, "May the Lord give you more children through Hannah who will take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord ." Elkanah and Hannah went home.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why: 1 Kings 1:6, Acts 9:4, Acts 14:15

I hear: etc. or, I hear evil words of you

by all: Isaiah 3:9, Jeremiah 3:3, Jeremiah 8:12, Philippians 3:19

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 3:13 - his sons Proverbs 15:5 - fool Luke 16:2 - How

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in the East, in a place named Eden. He put the man he made in that garden.
Genesis 2:9
Then the Lord God caused all the beautiful trees that were good for food to grow in the garden. In the middle of the garden, he put the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil.
Genesis 29:14
Then Laban said, "This is wonderful! You are from my own family." So Jacob stayed with Laban for a month.
Judges 9:2
"Ask the leaders of the city of Shechem this question: ‘Is it better for you to be ruled by the 70 sons of Gideon or to be ruled by only one man? Remember, I am your relative.'"
2 Samuel 5:1
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said to David, "Look, we are one family!
2 Samuel 19:13
Also tell Amasa, ‘You are part of my family. I swear that I will make you captain of the army in Joab's place.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said unto them, why do ye such things?.... As to impose upon the people that bring their offerings, by taking more than is due, and in a very indecent and imperious manner; and especially to defile the women when they came to worship: these were very scandalous sins, and deserved a more severe reprimand, and indeed a greater chastisement than by mere words; Eli should have rebuked them more sharply, and laid open the evil of their doings, and as a judge punished them for them:

for I hear of your evil doings by all this people; the inhabitants of Shiloh, or who came thither to worship, who were continually making their complaints to Eli; which still shows his backwardness to reprove them in the manner he did until he was obliged to it by the continual remonstrances of the people against the practices of his sons; he did not attend to the information he had from a few persons, until it became general.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 2:23. Why do ye such things! — Eli appears to have been a fondly affectionate, easy father, who wished his sons to do well, but did not bring them under proper discipline, and did not use his authority to restrain them. As judge, he had power to cast them immediately out of the vineyard, as wicked and unprofitable servants; this he did not, and his and their ruin was the consequence.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile