1 Samuel 3:13 I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

◄ 1 Samuel 3:13 ►

New International Version
For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.

New Living Translation
I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them.

English Standard Version
And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

Berean Standard Bible
I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

King James Bible
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

New King James Version
For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.

New American Standard Bible
For I have told him that I am going to judge his house forever for the wrongdoing that he knew, because his sons were bringing a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.

NASB 1995
“For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.

NASB 1977
“For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.

Legacy Standard Bible
And I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew because his sons have been bringing a curse on themselves, but he did not rebuke them.

Amplified Bible
Now I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the sinful behavior which he knew [was happening], because his sons were bringing a curse on themselves [dishonoring and blaspheming God] and he did not rebuke them.

Christian Standard Bible
I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are cursing God, and he has not stopped them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are defiling the sanctuary, and he has not stopped them.

American Standard Version
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.

Contemporary English Version
He knew that his sons refused to respect me, and he let them get away with it, even though I said I would punish his family forever.

English Revised Version
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I told him that I would hand down a permanent judgment against his household because he knew about his sons' sin-that they were cursing God-but he didn't try to stop them.

Good News Translation
I have already told him that I am going to punish his family forever because his sons have spoken evil things against me. Eli knew they were doing this, but he did not stop them.

International Standard Version
I've told him that I'm about to judge his family forever because of the iniquity that he knew about. His sons committed blasphemy and he did not rebuke them.

Majority Standard Bible
I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

NET Bible
You should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God, and he did not rebuke them.

New Heart English Bible
For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons were cursing God, and he did not restrain them.

Webster's Bible Translation
For I have told him, that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

World English Bible
For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn’t restrain them.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and I have declared to him that I am judging his house for all time, for the iniquity which he has known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he has not restrained them,

Young's Literal Translation
and I have declared to him that I am judging his house -- to the age, for the iniquity which he hath known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he hath not restrained them,

Smith's Literal Translation
And I announced to him that I judge his house even forever, for the iniquity which he knew: for his sons cursing for themselves and he admonished them not.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
For I have foretold unto him, that I will judge his house for ever, for iniquity, because he knew that his sons did wickedly, and did not chastise them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For I have foretold to him that I will judge his house unto eternity, because of iniquity. For he had known that his sons acted shamefully, and he did not chastise them.

New American Bible
I announce to him that I am condemning his house once and for all, because of this crime: though he knew his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them.

New Revised Standard Version
For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And I will show him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knew when his sons reviled the people and he did not rebuke them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I shall show him that I judge his house for eternity in the evil that he had known, that these his sons had been abusing the people and he was not rebuking them

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity, in that he knew that his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he rebuked them not.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I have told him that I will be avenged on his house perpetually for the iniquities of his sons, because his sons spoke evil against God, and he did not admonish them.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The LORD Calls Samuel
…12On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from beginning to end. 13I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them. 14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

1 Samuel 2:12-17
Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD / or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling / and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ...

1 Samuel 2:22-25
Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. / “Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people. / No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people. ...

1 Samuel 2:29-30
Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’ / Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

1 Samuel 2:31-34
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age. / You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age. / And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I will cause your eyes to fail and your heart to grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men. ...

1 Kings 2:27
So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

1 Kings 1:6
(His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)

Proverbs 19:18
Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be party to his death.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 29:15
A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.

Deuteronomy 21:18-21
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does not listen to them when disciplined, / his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown, / and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” ...

Leviticus 19:17
You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.

Ezekiel 3:18-19
If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood. / But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.

Ezekiel 18:30
Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall.

Malachi 2:8-9
But you have departed from the way, and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts. / “So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not kept My ways, but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Treasury of Scripture

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knows; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

For I have told him.

1 Samuel 2:27-30
And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? …

I will

2 Chronicles 20:12
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

Ezekiel 7:3
Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.

Ezekiel 18:30
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

which he knoweth

1 Kings 2:44
The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head;

Exodus 7:22
And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

1 John 3:20
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

his sons

1 Samuel 2:12,17,22,23
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD…

vile.

1 Samuel 2:23-25
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people…

1 Kings 1:6
And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.

Proverbs 19:18
Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

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1 Samuel 3

1. How the word of the Lord was first revealed to Samuel
11. God tells Samuel the destruction of Eli's house
15. Samuel, though loath, tells Eli the vision
19. Samuel grows in credit

Berean Study Bible

I told him
This phrase indicates a direct communication from God to Eli, the high priest. The Hebrew root here is "נָגַד" (nagad), meaning to declare or make known. This emphasizes the clarity and authority of God's message. In the context of ancient Israel, God often communicated through prophets or direct revelation, underscoring the seriousness of the message being delivered.

that I would judge
The Hebrew word for "judge" is "שָׁפַט" (shaphat), which means to govern or to pass judgment. This reflects God's role as the ultimate judge who holds individuals and nations accountable. In the historical context, judges were leaders who delivered Israel from oppression, but here it signifies divine judgment against Eli's household.

his house forever
The term "house" (בַּיִת, bayit) refers to Eli's family or lineage. The use of "forever" (עוֹלָם, olam) indicates a perpetual judgment, highlighting the severity of the consequences of Eli's failure. This reflects the biblical principle that the sins of leaders can have lasting impacts on their descendants.

for the iniquity he knew about
"Iniquity" (עָוֹן, avon) refers to moral perversity or sin. The phrase underscores Eli's awareness of his sons' sins, which he failed to address. This highlights a key biblical theme: the responsibility of leaders to confront sin within their sphere of influence.

because his sons defiled themselves
The word "defiled" (מָקַל, qalal) means to treat something sacred with contempt. Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests who desecrated their office by their actions. This reflects the historical context of priestly duties and the sacredness of their role in Israelite worship.

and he did not restrain them
The Hebrew root "כָּהָה" (kahah) means to weaken or fail to correct. Eli's failure to restrain his sons is a critical point of judgment. This highlights the biblical principle of parental and spiritual responsibility, emphasizing the need for discipline and correction within the family and community of faith.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) Because his sons made themselves vile.--The enormity of the sin of Eli and his house, which was to be so fearfully punished, must be measured by the extent of the mischief it worked; well-nigh all Israel were involved in it. The fatal example the priests had set at Shiloh filtrated through the entire people; the result was, that unbelief in the Eternal was becoming general throughout the land. The old pure religion was rapidly dying out of the hearts of the men, and the profligacy and covetousness of Shiloh would soon have been copied only too faithfully in all the homes of Israel. This fearful state of things was known to the high priest and judge, and still the weak and indulgent father refrained from removing his sons from their high office.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 13. - For I have told him, etc. These words may be translated, with the Septuagint and Vulgate, "For I have told him that I would judge his house," referring back to the message of the man of God; or, with the Syriac, "And I will show him that I do judge his house." Forever. I.e. finally; his house shall pass away. His sons made themselves vile. The verb used here invariably means to curse; but "they cursed themselves" does not, without straining, give a good sense. The Septuagint for "themselves" reads God, and the Syriac the people. Buxtorf says ('Lex. Rab.,' sub תִּקּוּן) that the right reading is me, and that this is one of eighteen places where the scribes have changed me into themselves or them. But while thus there is much uncertainty about the right text, the evidence is too uncertain to act upon, and it is best to translate, "His sons have brought a curse upon themselves," while acknowledging that the ordinary rendering would be "have cursed themselves." And he restrained them not. The Versions generally take the verb used here as equivalent to one differing only in having a softer medial consonant, כהה = כאה, and translate rebuked; but that really found in the Hebrew text signifies "to weaken, humble, reduce to powerlessness." The A.V. takes neither one verb nor the other in the rendering restrained. Eli ought to have prevented his sons from persisting in bringing disgrace upon God's service by stripping them of their office. Their wickedness was great, and required a stern and decisive remedy.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

I told
וְהִגַּ֣דְתִּי (wə·hig·gaḏ·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

him that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I
אֲנִ֛י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

will judge
שֹׁפֵ֥ט (šō·p̄êṭ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8199: To judge, pronounce sentence, to vindicate, punish, to govern, to litigate

his house
בֵּית֖וֹ (bê·ṯōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

forever
עוֹלָ֑ם (‘ō·w·lām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

for the iniquity
בַּעֲוֺ֣ן (ba·‘ă·wōn)
Preposition-b | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity

of which
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

he knows,
יָדַ֗ע (yā·ḏa‘)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

because
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

his sons
בָּנָ֔יו (bā·nāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

blasphemed God
מְקַֽלְלִ֤ים (mə·qal·lîm)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7043: To be slight, swift or trifling

and he did not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

restrain
כִהָ֖ה (ḵi·hāh)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3543: To be weak, to despond, to grow dull

them.
בָּֽם׃ (bām)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

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OT History: 1 Samuel 3:13 For I have told him that (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)