Deuteronomy 18

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

The Levitical priests, in fact the whole tribe of Levi, will not have a share in the land allotment with the other Israelites. They are to eat from the food offerings presented to the Lord—that is what they are entitled to receive.

2 And they shall have no inheritance among their brothers. Jehovah is their inheritance as he has spoken to them.

While they don't own land among the other tribes, the Lord takes care of them, as he promised.

3 And this 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.

The priests' share of a sacrifice of a bull or a sheep that is brought by the people is as follows. The priests are to be given the shoulder, the jaw, and the insides.

4 The first-fruits of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, thou shall give him.

You are to provide them with the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as the first wool sheared from your flock.

5 For Jehovah thy God has chosen him out of all thy tribes to stand to minister in the name of Jehovah, him and his sons forever.

For the Lord your God has chosen Levi and his descendants from all your tribes to stand before him and serve in his name forever.

6 And if a Levite comes from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourns, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Jehovah shall choose,

If a Levite is convinced he should move from any Israelite town and goes to the place the Lord will choose,

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

then he shall be allowed to serve in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there in service before the Lord.

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

They will all receive the same food allowances, despite him having received money from the sale of his father's property.

9 When thou have come into the land, which Jehovah thy God gives thee, thou shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations.

Once you enter the country the Lord your God is giving you, don't copy the offensive ways of the nations there.

10 There shall not be found with thee anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, a psychic, he who practices augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

There should be no one who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or fortune-telling, uses magic or sorcery,

11 or a charmer, or a medium, or a spiritist, or a necromancer.

practices witchcraft, visits a medium or spiritist, or communicates with the dead. Anyone does such things offends the Lord.

12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to Jehovah. And because of these abominations Jehovah thy God drives them out from before thee.

It's because of these offensive things that the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you.

13 Thou shall be perfect with Jehovah thy God.

You are to be innocent of such things in the presence of the Lord your God.

14 For these nations, that thou shall dispossess, hearken to those who practice augury, and to psychics. But as for thee, Jehovah thy God has not allowed thee to do so.

Even though these nations, whose land you will occupy, listen to magicians and fortune-tellers, the Lord your God forbids you to do so.

15 Jehovah thy God will raise up for thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brothers, like me. Ye shall hearken to him,

The Lord your God will send you a prophet like me from your people. You must listen to him.

16 according to all that thou desired of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.

Remember what you told the Lord your God at Horeb when you were all assembled there. You said, “Please don't let us go on hearing the Lord our God speak to us, or see this terrifying fire anymore! Otherwise we're going to die!”

17 And Jehovah said to me, They have well said that which they have spoken.

Then the Lord told me, “They are right in what they're saying.

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

I'm going to send them a prophet like you from their people. I will give him my messages, and he will tell them everything I order him to say.

19 And it shall come to pass, that whoever will not hearken to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

I will deal with anyone who does not listen to my message that the prophet speaks in my name.

20 But 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.

However, if any prophet claims to be delivering a message in my name that I have not ordered him to give, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be executed.”

21 And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah has not spoken?

You may be wondering, “How can we be sure that a message hasn't come from the Lord?”

22 When a prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah, if the thing does not follow, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Thou shall not be afraid of him.

When a prophet speaks in the Lord's name and what he says doesn't happen or come true, then that is a not a message from the Lord. The prophet has spoken with contempt for the Lord. Don't be intimidated by him.