“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Did I not for a fact reveal myself to the house of your forefather [Aaron] while they happened to be in Egypt as slaves to the house of Pharaoh?

1 Sam. 2:27-36.

This prophecy was partially fulfilled when, a short time later, Eli’s two sons were killed in battle with the Philistines, and the ark, which they had carried into battle, was captured. Eli, on hearing the report, fell backward off his seat by the gate and broke his neck.​—1 Sam. 4:10, 11, 18.

Eli’s posterity did fill the high priestly office for years after that, but their eyes saw many calamities, such as the slaughter of the priests by the order of Saul. (1 Sam. 22:11, 16-18) A further part of the judgment came years later when King Solomon “drove out Abiathar [the high priest, a descendant of Eli] from serving as a priest of Jehovah, to fulfill Jehovah’s word that he had spoken against the house of Eli in Shiloh.” Solomon replaced Abiathar in office with one of the sons of Zadok. (1 Ki. 2:27, 35) Zadok was a descendant of the line of Aaron’s son Eleazar, whereas Eli was of the line of Ithamar, another son of Aaron. (1 Chron. 6:50-53; 24:1; 1 Sam. 14:3; 22:9)