Deuteronomy 18
1 The Levitical priests, in fact the whole tribe of Levi, will not have a share in the land allotment with the other Israelites. They are to eat from the food offerings presented to the Lord—that is what they are entitled to receive.
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 While they don't own land among the other tribes, the Lord takes care of them, as he promised.
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 The priests' share of a sacrifice of a bull or a sheep that is brought by the people is as follows. The priests are to be given the shoulder, the jaw, and the insides.
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 You are to provide them with the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as the first wool sheared from your flock.
The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of the wool from the shearing of their sheep.
5 For the Lord your God has chosen Levi and his descendants from all your tribes to stand before him and serve in his name forever.
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 If a Levite is convinced he should move from any Israelite town and goes to the place the Lord will choose,
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 shall be allowed to serve in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there in service 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 They will all receive the same food allowances, despite him having received money from the sale of his father's 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 Once you enter the country the Lord your God is giving you, don't copy the offensive ways of the nations there.
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 There should be no one who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or fortune-telling, uses magic or sorcery,
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 practices witchcraft, visits a medium or spiritist, or communicates with the dead. Anyone does such things offends the Lord.
Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.
12 It's because of these offensive things that the Lord your God is driving out the nations 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 innocent of such things in the presence of the Lord your God.
Thou shalt be perfect, and without spot before the Lord thy God.
14 Even though these nations, whose land you will occupy, listen to magicians and fortune-tellers, the Lord your God forbids you to 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 send you a prophet like me from your people. You must listen 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 Remember what you told the Lord your God at Horeb when you were all assembled there. You said, “Please don't let us go on hearing the Lord our God speak to us, or see this terrifying fire anymore! Otherwise we're going to die!”
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 told me, “They are right in what they're saying.
And the Lord said to me: They have spoken all things well.
18 I'm going to send them a prophet like you from their people. I will give him my messages, and he will tell them everything I order him 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 I will deal with anyone who does not listen to my message that the prophet speaks in my name.
And he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger.
20 However, if any prophet claims to be delivering a message in my name that I have not ordered him to give, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be executed.”
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 You may be wondering, “How can we be sure that a message hasn't 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 speaks in the Lord's name and what he says doesn't happen or come true, then that is a not a message from the Lord. The prophet has spoken with contempt for the Lord. Don't be intimidated by 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.
