The sons of Eli were a corrupt priesthood who took from the people what they wanted and didn't give them what they should, their father, and boss, Eli didn't discipline them for this but instead lectured them as to how what he had heard about them had saddened him. Because they went unpunished by their father the Lord had to judge them for their actions. On day a man sent from God came to the house of Eli and confronted him about his sons behaviour because God held him responsible for what his sons were doing, the man of God gave Eli, and his sons and invitation to repent before judgement came but they didn't thus judgement had to come in the deaths of Eli's sons adn the removal of Eli's family from the preisthood in the days of Zadok about 70 years later. During this time Samuel was growing in favour of God and man and thus the Lord spoke to him even though Samuel didn't know it was the Lord, he went to Eli and Eli told him it was the Lord and Samuel recieved the word with gladness.
