Deuteronomy 18

1 The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD; that is their inheritance.

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

2 Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.

But any inheritance shall he not have among his brethren: the Lord is his inheritance, as he hath spoken unto him.

3 This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.

And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that slay an animal, whether it be ox or lamb: then shall each one give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.

The first-fruit of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thy oil, and the first shearing of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

5 For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.

For him the Lord thy God hath chosen out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, he and his sons all the days.

6 Now if a Levite moves from any town of residence throughout Israel and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose,

And if the Levite come from any one of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the longing of his soul unto the place which the Lord will choose:

7 then he shall serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the LORD.

Then can he minister in the name of the Lord his God, like all his brethren the Levites, who stand there before the Lord.

8 They shall eat equal portions, even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s estate.

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

9 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

When thou comest into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,

There shall not be found among thee any one who causeth his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who useth divination, one who is an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a conjurer.

11 casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.

Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or who inquireth of the dead.

12 For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.

For an abomination unto the Lord are all that do these things; and on account of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

Perfect shalt thou be with the Lord thy God.

14 Though these nations, which you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

For these nations, which thou art about to dispossess, hearken unto observers of times, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not assigned the like unto thee.

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

A prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, will the Lord thy God raise up unto thee; unto him shall ye hearken:

16 This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”

According to all that thou didst desire of the Lord thy God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, I wish no more to hear the voice of the Lord my God, and this great fire I wish not to see again, that I die not.

17 Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well.

And the Lord said unto me, They have done well in what they have spoken.

18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

A prophet will I raise up unto them from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I may command him.

19 And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.

And it shall come to pass, that if there be a man who will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

20 But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”

But the prophet, who may presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who may speak in the name of other Gods even that prophet shall die.

21 You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”

And if thou shouldst say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

That which the prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, and the thing do not happen and come not to pass— this is the word which the Lord hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet spoken it; thou shalt not be afraid of him.