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

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

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

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 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 can he minister in the name of the Lord his God, like all his brethren the 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 have like portions to eat, besides that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.

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 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 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,

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 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 a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or who inquireth 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 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 are to be upright in heart before the Lord your God.

Perfect shalt thou be 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 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 give you a prophet from among your people, like me; you will give ear 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 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 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, What they have said is well said.

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

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

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 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 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 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 shouldst say in thy heart, How shall we know the word 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.

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.