< 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 of the Leuites, and all the tribe of Leui shall haue no part nor inheritace with Israel, but shall eate the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance.
2 And they will have no heritage among their countrymen: the Lord is their heritage, as he has said to them.
Therefore shall they haue no inheritance among their brethren: for the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath sayd vnto 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.
And this shalbe the Priests duetie of the people, that they, which offer sacrifice, whether it be bullocke or sheepe, shall giue vnto the Priest the shoulder, and the two cheekes, and the mawe.
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 first fruites also of thy corne, of thy wine, and of thine oyle, and the first of the fleece of thy sheepe shalt thou giue him.
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 out of all thy tribes, to stande and minister in the Name of the Lord, him, and his sonnes for euer.
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;
Also when a Leuite shall come out of any of thy cities of all Israel, where hee remained, and come with all the desire of his heart vnto the place, which the Lord shall chuse,
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 then minister in the Name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Leuites, which remaine 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 haue like portions to eat beside that which commeth of his sale of his patrimonie.
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 shalt come into ye land which the Lord thy God giueth thee, thou shalt not learne to do after ye 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,
Let none be founde among you that maketh his sonne or his daughter to goe thorough the fire, or that vseth witchcraft, or a regarder of times, or a marker of the flying of foules, or a sorcerer,
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.
Or a charmer, or that counselleth with spirits, or a soothsaier, or that asketh counsel at ye 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 all that doe such things are abomination vnto the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doeth cast them out before thee.
13 You are to be upright in heart before the Lord your God.
Thou shalt be vpright therefore with 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.
For these nations which thou shalt possesse, hearken vnto those that regarde the times, and vnto sorcerers: as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffred thee 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 thy God will raise vp vnto thee a Prophet like vnto me, from among you, euen of thy brethren: vnto him ye shall hearken,
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 al that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the assemblie, when thou saidest, Let me heare the voice of my Lord God no more, nor see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 Then the Lord said to me, What they have said is well said.
And the Lord sayde vnto me, They haue well spoken.
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 vp a Prophet from among their brethren like vnto thee, and will put my woordes in his mouth, and he shall speake vnto them all that I shall commaund him.
19 And whoever does not give ear to my words which he will say in my name, will be responsible to me.
And whosoeuer will not hearken vnto my wordes, which he shall speake in my Name, I will require it of 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 that shall presume to speake a worde in my name, which I haue not commanded him to speake, or that speaketh in the name of other gods, euen the same 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?
And if thou thinke in thine heart, Howe shall we knowe the worde which 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.
When a prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to passe, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not therefore be afraid of him.

< Deuteronomy 18 >