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 and Levites, and all that are of the same tribe, shall have no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel, because they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and his oblations,

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

And they shall receive nothing else. of the possession of their brethren: for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he hath said to 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 priest’s due from the people, and from them that offer victims: whether they sacrifice an ox, or a sheep, they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast:

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.

The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of the wool from the shearing of their 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.

For the Lord thy God hath chosen him of all thy tribes, to stand and to minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

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;

If a Levite go out of any one of the cities throughout all Israel, in which he dwelleth, and have a longing mind to come to the place which the Lord shall 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.

He shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, that shall stand at that time 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.

He shall receive the same portion of food that the rest do: 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 is giving you, do not take as your example the disgusting ways of those nations.

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee, beware lest thou have a mind to imitate 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,

Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire: or that consulteth soothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, neither let there be any wizard,

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.

Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from 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 the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations he will destroy them at thy coming.

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

Thou shalt be perfect, and without spot before the Lord thy 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.

These nations, whose land thou shalt possess, hearken to soothsayers and diviners: but thou art otherwise instructed by the Lord thy God.

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

The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation and of thy brethren like unto me: him thou shalt 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.

As thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and saidst: Let me not hear any more the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see any more this exceeding great fire, lest I die.

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

And the Lord said to me: They have spoken all things 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 them up a prophet out of the midst of their brethren like to thee: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that 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 he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger.

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, who being corrupted with pride, shall speak in my name things that I did not command him to say, or in the name of strange gods, shall be slain.

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

And if in silent thought thou answer: How shall I know the word that the Lord hath 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.

Thou shalt have this sign: Whatsoever that same prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass: that thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the pride of his mind: and therefore thou shalt not fear him.