Deuteronomy 18

1 The priests, the Levites, [and] the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel: Jehovah's offerings by fire, and his inheritance shall they eat,

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 but they shall have no inheritance among their brethren: Jehovah, he is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.

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

3 And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that sacrifice a sacrifice, whether ox, or sheep: they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the jawbones, and the maw.

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 firstfruits [also] of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstfruits of the shearing of thy sheep, shalt thou give him;

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 Jehovah thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, that he may stand to serve in the name of Jehovah, he and his sons continually.

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 And if the Levite shall come from one of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and shall come according to all the desire of his soul unto the place which Jehovah 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 and shall serve in the name of Jehovah his God, as all his brethren the Levites that stand there before Jehovah,

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 — they shall have like portions to eat, besides that which he hath sold of his patrimony.

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

9 When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do according to 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 There shall not be found among you he that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, that useth divination, that useth auguries, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

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 or a charmer, or one that inquireth of a spirit of Python, or a soothsayer, or one that consulteth 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 every one that doeth these things is an abomination to Jehovah, and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth dispossess them from before thee.

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 Thou shalt be perfect with Jehovah thy God.

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

14 For these nations, which thou shalt dispossess, hearkened unto those that use auguries, and that use divination; but as for thee, Jehovah thy God hath not suffered thee [to do] so.

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 Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him shall ye hearken;

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

16 according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

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 Jehovah said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

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

18 A prophet will I raise up unto them from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command 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 And it shall come to pass that the man who hearkeneth not unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

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

20 But the prophet who shall presume to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

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 And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word that Jehovah hath 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 When a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, and the thing followeth not, nor cometh to pass, that is the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: be not afraid of 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.