Deuteronomy 18
1 The priests and the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire and his portion.
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.
2 They shall have no inheritance amongst their brothers. The LORD is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.
While they don't own land among the other tribes, the Lord takes care of them, as he promised.
3 This shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest: the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts.
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.
4 You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep.
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.
5 For the LORD your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the LORD’s name, him and his sons forever.
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.
6 If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel where he lives, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which the LORD shall choose,
If a Levite is convinced he should move from any Israelite town and goes to the place the Lord will choose,
7 then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before the LORD.
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.
8 They shall have like portions to eat, in addition to that which comes from the sale of his family possessions.
They will all receive the same food allowances, despite him having received money from the sale of his father's property.
9 When you have come into the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations.
Once you enter the country the Lord your God is giving you, don't copy the offensive ways of the nations there.
10 There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
There should be no one who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or fortune-telling, uses magic or sorcery,
11 or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
practices witchcraft, visits a medium or spiritist, or communicates with the dead. Anyone does such things offends the Lord.
12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. Because of these abominations, the LORD your God drives them out from before you.
It's because of these offensive things that the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you.
13 You shall be blameless with the LORD your God.
You are to be innocent of such things in the presence of the Lord your God.
14 For these nations that you shall dispossess listen to those who practise sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you so to do.
Even though these nations, whose land you will occupy, listen to magicians and fortune-tellers, the Lord your God forbids you to do so.
15 The LORD your God will raise up to you a prophet from amongst you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
The Lord your God will send you a prophet like me from your people. You must listen to him.
16 This is according to all that you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again the LORD my God’s voice, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.”
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!”
17 The LORD said to me, “They have well said that which they have spoken.
Then the Lord told me, “They are right in what they're saying.
18 I will raise them up a prophet from amongst their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.
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.
19 It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
I will deal with anyone who does not listen to my message that the prophet speaks in my name.
20 But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.”
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.”
21 You may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?”
You may be wondering, “How can we be sure that a message hasn't come from the Lord?”
22 When a prophet speaks in the LORD’s name, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him.
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.
