Why then look with greedy eye at my sacrifices and my offerings which I commanded: the Masoretic Text says “Why do you [plural] kick at my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded dwelling [or, envy].” The second person plural pronoun is generally thought to refer to Eli and his sons, that is, the priesthood in general. There are several other problems of interpretation in this verse:
(1) The first verb in this verse in the Masoretic Text means “to stamp [or, to kick].” The sense is well expressed in translations such as “Why do you scorn” (New International Version), “Why do you show disrespect for” (Revised English Bible), or “Why do you trample on” (New Jerusalem Bible and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).
(2) The precise meaning of the Hebrew noun following the verb commanded is uncertain and is in fact not even translated by Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation! The noun may mean “dwelling” or “enduring,” or it may mean “envy.” See also verse 32 below. Here are some possible approaches to the problem:
(a) If the meaning is taken as “enduring,” one may translate “Why have you [plural] trampled upon my sacrifices and offering which I have commanded permanently?” (La Bible Pléiade).
(b) If, however, the meaning is taken as “dwelling,” the translation may state “Why do you trample on the offering and on the sacrifice which I have ordered for my Dwelling [the Temple]?” (so New Jerusalem Bible; similarly New International Version, Osty-Trinquet).
(c) The third possibility is to take the noun as meaning “envy.” This meaning seems to lie behind the Septuagint translation “with greedy eye.” One will then translate “Why do you [singular] trample with envy on my sacrifice and offering which I commanded?” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {C} rating to the noun in the Masoretic Text.

But there is a textual problem also. A small change in the Hebrew verb gives the sense “Why do you [singular] look?” instead of “Why do you [plural] trample?” Indeed, the Septuagint and a Qumran manuscript say “Why do you [singular] look with greedy eye?” Translations such as Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Good News Translation follow the Septuagint here.

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the verb “trample on” in the Masoretic Text and recommends a translation such as that of La Bible Pléiade, cited above.

Sacrifices and offerings: these two words are usually distinguished in English by considering the second a general term for anything offered to God, while the first is often more specifically thought of as being related to the killing of animals to present to God. But many languages do not possess separate words for these two notions. So the two together may have to be translated “the things you bring to me” or “the objects that you offer to me.” See also 3.14.

By fattening yourselves: the Hebrew verb has a second person plural suffix that includes Eli along with his sons. Perhaps the implication is that Eli also, and not only his sons, ate from the choicest parts. Or perhaps Eli was considered at fault for not having control over his sons’ behavior. Though several translations say “letting them fatten themselves” (Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje and similarly Revised English Bible), translators should follow the Hebrew text, as do Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and Bible en français courant. The choicest parts of every offering is literally “the first of every offering,” referring to the fat that was supposed to be burned.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .