Deuteronomy 18

1 The priests and 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 portion.

“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.

2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers. The LORD is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.

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

3 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, the two cheeks, and the inner parts.

This 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,

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

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

5 For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the LORD’s name, him and his sons forever.

For 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.

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

If 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,

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

he 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.

8 They shall have like portions to eat, in addition to that which comes from the sale of his family possessions.

He 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.

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

When 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.

10 There 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 tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

Do 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,

11 or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

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

12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. Because of these abominations, the LORD your God drives them out from before you.

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

13 You shall be blameless with the LORD your God.

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

14 For 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.

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

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

The 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,

16 This 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 LORD my God’s voice, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.”

just 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.’

17 The LORD said to me, “They have well said that which they have spoken.

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

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

I 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.

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

But 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.

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

But 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.

21 You may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?”

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

22 When a prophet speaks in the LORD’s name, 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.

you 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.’”