Deuteronomy 18

1 “The priests and the Levites, and all who are from the same tribe, shall have no portion or inheritance with the rest of Israel. For they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord and his oblations.

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.

2 And they shall receive nothing else from the possession of their brothers. For the Lord himself is their inheritance, just as he said to them.

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

3 This shall be the recompense for the priests from the people, and from those who offer victims, whether they will immolate an ox or a sheep. They shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast,

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.

4 the first-fruits of grain, wine, and oil, and a portion of the wool from the shearing of the sheep.

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.

5 For the Lord your God himself has chosen him out of all your tribes, so that he may stand and minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons, forever.

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.

6 If a Levite departs from one of the cities, throughout all of Israel, in which he lives, and if he wills and desires to go to the place which the Lord will choose,

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;

7 he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as do all his brothers, the Levites, who will be standing at that time in the sight of the Lord.

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.

8 He shall receive the same portion of food as the rest also receive, besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his fathers.

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

9 When you will have entered into the land which the Lord your God will give to you, be careful that you are not willing to imitate the abominations of those nations.

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.

10 Do not let there be found among you one who would purify his son or daughter by leading them through fire, nor one who consults seers, nor one who observes dreams or omens. Do not let there be found among you one who practices the occult,

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,

11 nor one who uses spells, nor one who consults demonic spirits, nor a diviner, nor one who seeks the truth from the dead.

Or anyone using secret force on people, or putting questions to a spirit, or having secret knowledge, or going to the dead for directions.

12 For the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival.

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.

13 You shall be perfect and without blemish with the Lord your God.

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

14 These nations, whose land you shall possess, they listen to soothsayers and diviners. But you have been otherwise instructed by the Lord your God.

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.

15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a PROPHET from your nation and from your brothers, similar to me. You shall listen to him,

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

16 just as you petitioned of the Lord your God at Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and you said: ‘Let me no longer hear the voice of the Lord my God, and let me no longer see this very great fire, lest I die.’

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.

17 And the Lord said to me: ‘They have spoken all these things well.

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

18 I will raise up a prophet for them, from the midst of their brothers, similar to you. And I will place my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them all the things that I will instruct him.

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.

19 But against anyone who is not willing to listen to his words, which he will speak in my name, I will stand forth as the avenger.

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

20 But if a prophet, having been corrupted by arrogance, chooses to speak, in my name, things which I did not instruct him to say, or to speak in the name of foreign gods, he shall be put to death.

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.

21 But if, in silent thought, you respond: “How will I be able to recognize a word which the Lord has not spoken?”

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

22 you shall have this sign. If whatever that prophet predicts in the name of the Lord does not happen, then the Lord has not spoken it. Instead, the prophet has formed it through the swelling of his own mind. And for this reason, you shall not fear him.’”

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.