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 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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;

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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,

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

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.

casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of 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 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.

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

You must be blameless 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.

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

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

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.

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!”

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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 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.”

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

You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that 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.

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.