Deuteronomy 18

¹“The priests and the Levites, and all who are from the same tribe, shall have no portion or inheritance with the rest of Israel. For they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord and his oblations.

²And they shall receive nothing else from the possession of their brothers. For the Lord himself is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

³This shall be the recompense for the priests from the people, and from those who offer victims, whether they will immolate an ox or a sheep. They shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast,

⁴the first-fruits of grain, wine, and oil, and a portion of the wool from the shearing of the sheep.

⁵For the Lord your God himself has chosen him out of all your tribes, so that he may stand and minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons, forever.

⁶If a Levite departs from one of the cities, throughout all of Israel, in which he lives, and if he wills and desires to go to the place which the Lord will choose,

⁷he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as do all his brothers, the Levites, who will be standing at that time in the sight of the Lord.

⁸He shall receive the same portion of food as the rest also receive, besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his fathers.

⁹When you will have entered into the land which the Lord your God will give to you, be careful that you are not willing to imitate the abominations of those nations.

¹⁰Do not let there be found among you one who would purify his son or daughter by leading them through fire, nor one who consults seers, nor one who observes dreams or omens. Do not let there be found among you one who practices the occult,

¹¹nor one who uses spells, nor one who consults demonic spirits, nor a diviner, nor one who seeks the truth from the dead.

¹²For the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival.

¹³You shall be perfect and without blemish with the Lord your God.

¹⁴These nations, whose land you shall possess, they listen to soothsayers and diviners. But you have been otherwise instructed by the Lord your God.

¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up for you a PROPHET from your nation and from your brothers, similar to me. You shall listen to him,

¹⁶just as you petitioned of the Lord your God at Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and you said: ‘Let me no longer hear the voice of the Lord my God, and let me no longer see this very great fire, lest I die.’

¹⁷And the Lord said to me: ‘They have spoken all these things well.

¹⁸I will raise up a prophet for them, from the midst of their brothers, similar to you. And I will place my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all the things that I will instruct him.

¹⁹But against anyone who is not willing to listen to his words, which he will speak in my name, I will stand forth as the avenger.

²⁰But if a prophet, having been corrupted by arrogance, chooses to speak, in my name, things which I did not instruct him to say, or to speak in the name of foreign gods, he shall be put to death.

²¹But if, in silent thought, you respond: “How will I be able to recognize a word which the Lord has not spoken?”

²²you shall have this sign. If whatever that prophet predicts in the name of the Lord does not happen, then the Lord has not spoken it. Instead, the prophet has formed it through the swelling of his own mind. And for this reason, you shall not fear him.’ ”

Deuteronomy 18

¹The priests and Levites, and all that are of the same tribe, shall have no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel, because they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and his oblations,

²And they shall receive nothing else of the possession of their brethren: for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he hath said to them.

³This shall be the priest's due from the people, and from them that offer victims: whether they sacrifice an ox, or a sheep, they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast:

⁴The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of the wool from the shearing of their sheep.

⁵For the Lord thy God hath chosen him of all thy tribes, to stand and to minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

⁶If a Levite go out of any one of the cities throughout all Israel, in which he dwelleth, and have a longing mind to come to the place which the Lord shall choose,

⁷He shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, that shall stand at that time before the Lord.

⁸He shall receive the same portion of food that the rest do: besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his fathers.

⁹When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee, beware lest thou have a mind to imitate the abominations of those nations.

¹⁰Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire: or that consulteth soothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, neither let there be any wizard,

¹¹Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.

¹²For the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations he will destroy them at thy coming.

¹³Thou shalt be perfect, and without spot before the Lord thy God.

¹⁴These nations, whose land thou shalt possess, hearken to soothsayers and diviners: but thou art otherwise instructed by the Lord thy God.

¹⁵The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation and of thy brethren like unto me: him thou shalt hear:

¹⁶As thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and saidst: Let me not hear any more the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see any more this exceeding great fire, lest I die.

¹⁷And the Lord said to me: They have spoken all things well.

¹⁸I will raise them up a prophet out of the midst of their brethren like to thee: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.

¹⁹And he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger.

²⁰But the prophet, who being corrupted with pride, shall speak in my name things that I did not command him to say, or in the name of strange gods, shall be slain.

²¹And if in silent thought thou answer: How shall I know the word that the Lord hath not spoken?

²²Thou shalt have this sign: Whatsoever that same prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass: that thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the pride of his mind: and therefore thou shalt not fear him.