This happened because King Jeroboam had done many sins. And Jeroboam had caused the people of Israel to do many sins. Jeroboam made the Lord, the God of Israel, very angry.
\{The Lord said,\} “But you priests stopped following me! You used the teachings to make people do wrong. You ruined the Agreement with Levi!” The Lord All-Powerful said these things!
I feel sorry for the people in the world because of the things that make people sin. Those things must happen. But it will be very bad for the person that causes those things to happen.
So, brothers and sisters, choose seven of your own men. They must be men that people say are good. They must be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit. {\cf2\super [109]} We will give them this work to do.
Some people honor us, but other people shame us. Some people say good things about us, but other people say bad things. Some people say we are liars, but we speak the truth.
An elder must also have the respect of people who are not in the church. Then he will not be criticized by other people and be caught in the devil’s trap.
Those false teachers boast with words that mean nothing. They lead people into the trap \{of sin\}. They lead away people who are just beginning to come away from other people who live wrong. Those false teachers do this by using the evil things people want to do in their sinful selves.
But I have this against you: You let that woman named Jezebel do what she wants. She says that she is a prophet. {\cf2\super [22]} But she is leading my people away with her teaching. Jezebel leads my people to do sexual sins and to eat food that is offered to idols. {\cf2\super [23]}
Eli was very old. He heard again and again about the things his sons were doing to all the Israelites at Shiloh. Eli also heard about his sons sleeping with the women who served at the door of the Meeting Tent.