Deuteronomy 18
1 Preestis and dekenes, and alle men that ben of the same lynage, schulen `not haue part and eritage with the tother puple of Israel, for thei schulen ete the sacrifices of the Lord, and the offryngis of hym;
The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD; that is their inheritance.
2 and thei schulen not take ony othir thing of the possessioun of her britheren; for the Lord hym silf is the `eritage of hem, as he spak to hem.
Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.
3 This schal be the doom of preestis of the puple, and of hem that offren sacrifices; whether `thei offren an oxe, ether a scheep, thei schulen yyue to the preest the schuldre, and the paunche, the firste fruytis of wheete,
This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.
4 and of wyn, and of oile, and a part of wollis of the scheryng of scheep.
You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.
5 For thi Lord God chees hym of alle thi lynagis, that he stonde and mynystre to `the name of the Lord, he and hise sones, with outen ende.
For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.
6 If a dekene goith out of oon of thi citees of al Israel, in which he dwellith, `and wole come and desirith the place which the Lord chees,
Now if a Levite moves from any town of residence throughout Israel and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose,
7 he schal mynystre in the name of his Lord God as alle hise britheren dekenes, that schulen stonde in that tyme byfore the Lord.
then he shall serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the LORD.
8 He schal take the same part of meetis, `which and othere dekenes schulen take; outakun that that is due to hym in his citee, bi `successioun ethir eritage `of fadir.
They shall eat equal portions, even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s estate.
9 Whanne thou hast entrid in to the lond which thi Lord God schal yyue to thee, be thou war lest thou wole sue abhomynaciouns of tho folkis;
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
10 noon be foundun in thee that clensith his sone, ether his douytir, `and ledith bi the fier, ethir that axith questiouns of dyuynouris `that dyuynen aboute the auteris, and that taketh hede to dremes and chiteryng of bryddis; nethir ony wicche be,
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
11 nethir an enchauntere, `that is, that disseyueth mennus iyen that a thing seme that is not; nether a man take counsel at hem that han a feend spekynge `in the wombe, nether take counsel at false dyuynouris nethir seke of deed men the treuthe.
casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.
12 For the Lord hath abhomynacioun of alle these thingis, and for siche wickidnessis he schal do awei hem in thin entryng.
For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.
13 Thou schalt be perfit and without filthe, with thi Lord God.
You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
14 These hethen men, `the lond of whiche thou schalt welde, heren hem that worchen bi chiteryng of briddis, and false dyuynouris; forsothe thou art tauyt in other maner of thi Lord God.
Though these nations, which you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
15 Thi Lord God schal reise a prophete of thi folk and of thi britheren as me, thou schalt here hym;
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.
16 as thou axidist of thi Lord God in Oreb, whanne the cumpany was gaderid, and thou seidist, Y schal no more here the vois of my Lord God, and Y schal no more se `this grettiste fier, lest Y die.
This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”
17 And the Lord seide to me, Thei spaken wel alle thingis.
Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well.
18 Y schal reise to hem a prophete, lijk thee, of the myddis of her britheren, and Y schal putte my wordis in his mouth, and he schal speke to hem alle thingis, whiche I schal comaunde to him.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
19 Forsothe Y schal be vengere of `that man, that nyle here the wordis `of hym, whiche he schal speke in my name.
And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.
20 `Sotheli a prophete `schal be slayn, which is bischrewid with pride, and wole speke in my name tho thingis, whiche Y comaundide not to hym, that he schulde seie, ethir bi the name of alien goddis.
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”
21 That if thou answerist bi pryuy thouyt, Hou may Y vndirstonde the word, which the Lord spak not? thou schalt haue this signe,
You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”
22 `The Lord spak not this thing which thilke prophete biforseid in the name of the Lord, `and it bifallith not, but `the prophete feynede bi the pride of his soule, and therfor thou schalt not drede hym.
When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
