Deuteronomy 18

¹The priests, the Levites, that is, all the tribe of Levi, will have no part or heritage with Israel: their food and their heritage will be the offerings of the Lord made by fire.

²And they will have no heritage among their countrymen: the Lord is their heritage, as he has said to them.

³And this is to be the priests' right: those who make an offering of a sheep or an ox are to give to the priest the top part of the leg and the two sides of the head and the stomach.

⁴And in addition you are to give him the first of your grain and wine and oil, and the first wool cut from your sheep.

⁵For he, and his sons after him for ever, have been marked out by the Lord your God from all your tribes, to do the work of priests in the name of the Lord.

⁶And if a Levite, moved by a strong desire, comes from any town in all Israel where he is living to the place marked out by the Lord;

⁷Then he will do the work of a priest in the name of the Lord his God, with all his brothers the Levites who are there before the Lord.

⁸His food will be the same as theirs, in addition to what has come to him as the price of his property.

⁹When you have come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, do not take as your example the disgusting ways of those nations.

¹⁰Let there not be seen among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter go through the fire, or anyone using secret arts, or a maker of strange sounds, or a reader of signs, or any wonder-worker,

¹¹Or anyone using secret force on people, or putting questions to a spirit, or having secret knowledge, or going to the dead for directions.

¹²For all who do such things are disgusting to the Lord; and because of these disgusting things the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

¹³You are to be upright in heart before the Lord your God.

¹⁴For these nations, whose land you are taking, give attention to readers of signs and to those using secret arts: but the Lord your God will not let you do so.

¹⁵The Lord your God will give you a prophet from among your people, like me; you will give ear to him;

¹⁶In answer to the request you made to the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the great meeting, when you said, Let not the voice of the Lord my God come to my ears again, and let me not see this great fire any more, or death will overtake me.

¹⁷Then the Lord said to me, What they have said is well said.

¹⁸I will give them a prophet from among themselves, like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will say to them whatever I give him orders to say.

¹⁹And whoever does not give ear to my words which he will say in my name, will be responsible to me.

²⁰But the prophet who takes it on himself to say words in my name which I have not given him orders to say, or who says anything in the name of other gods, will come to his death.

²¹And if you say in your hearts, How are we to be certain that the word does not come from the Lord?

²²When a prophet makes a statement in the name of the Lord, if what he says does not take place and his words do not come true, then his word is not the word of the Lord: the words of the prophet were said in the pride of his heart, and you are to have no fear of him.

Deuteronomy 18

¹The priests the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance.

²They shall have no inheritance among their brothers: the Lord is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.

³This shall be the priests' due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

⁴The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

⁵For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

⁶If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel, where he lives as a foreigner, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which the Lord shall choose;

⁷then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before the Lord.

⁸They shall have like portions to eat, besides that which comes of the sale of his patrimony.

⁹When you have come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

¹⁰There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

¹¹or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

¹²For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord your God does drive them out from before you.

¹³You shall be perfect with the Lord your God.

¹⁴For these nations, that you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice sorcery, and to diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you so to do.

¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.

¹⁶This is according to all that you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, "Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die."

¹⁷The Lord said to me, "They have well said that which they have spoken.

¹⁸I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.

¹⁹It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

²⁰But the prophet, who shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die."

²¹If you say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?"

²²When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing doesn't follow, nor happen, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken: the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him.