Deuteronomy 18

1 The 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.

The priests, the Levites, even the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; the burnt offerings of the Lord [are] their inheritance, they shall eat them.

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

And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord himself [is] his portion, as he said to him.

3 And 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.

And this [is] the due of the priests in the things coming from the people from those who offer sacrifices, whether it be a calf or a sheep; and you shall give the shoulder to the priest, and the cheeks, and the great intestine:

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

and the first fruits of your corn, and of your wine, and of your oil; and you shall give to him the first fruits of the fleeces of your sheep:

5 For 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.

because the Lord has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand before the Lord your God, to minister and bless in his name, himself and his sons among the children of Israel.

6 And 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;

And if a Levite come from one of the cities of all the children of Israel, where he himself dwells, accordingly as his mind desires, to the place which he shall have chosen,

7 Then 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.

he shall minister to the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites, who stand there present before the Lord your God.

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

He shall eat an allotted portion, besides the sale of his hereditary property.

9 When 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.

And when you shall have entered into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations.

10 Let 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,

There shall not be found in you one who purges his son or his daughter with fire, one who uses divination, who deals with omens, and augury,

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

a sorcerer employing incantation, one who has in him a divining spirit, and observer of signs, questioning the dead.

12 For 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.

For every one that does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God; for because of these abominations the Lord will destroy them from before your face.

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

You shall be perfect before the Lord your God.

14 For 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.

For all these nations whose [land] you shall inherit, they will listen to omens and divinations; but the Lord your God has not permitted you so [to do].

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

The Lord your God shall raise up to you a prophet of your brethren, like me; him shall you hear:

16 In 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.

according to all things which you did desire of the Lord your God in Choreb in the day of the assembly, saying, We will not again hear the voice of the Lord your God, and we will not any more see this great fire, and [so] we shall not die.

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

And the Lord said to me, They have spoken rightly all that they have said to you.

18 I 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.

I will raise up to them a prophet of their brethren, like you; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them as I shall command him.

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

And whatever man shall not listen to whatever words that prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.

20 But 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.

But the prophet whoever shall impiously speak in my name a word which I have not commanded him to speak, and whoever shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

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

But if you shall say in your heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?

22 When 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.

Whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in the name of the Lord, and they shall not come true, and not come to pass, this [is] the thing which the Lord has not spoken; that prophet has spoken wickedly: you shall not spare him.