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 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.

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.

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.

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 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,

4 and of wyn, and of oile, and a part of wollis of the scheryng of scheep.

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

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 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.

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,

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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,

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,

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.

nor one who uses spells, nor one who consults demonic spirits, nor a diviner, nor one who seeks the truth from 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 the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival.

13 Thou schalt be perfit and without filthe, with thi Lord God.

You shall be perfect and without blemish with 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.

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

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 from your nation and from your brothers, similar to me. You shall 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.

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.’

17 And the Lord seide to me, Thei spaken wel alle thingis.

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

19 Forsothe Y schal be vengere of `that man, that nyle here the wordis `of hym, whiche he schal speke in my name.

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.

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 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.

21 That if thou answerist bi pryuy thouyt, Hou may Y vndirstonde the word, which the Lord spak not? thou schalt haue this signe,

But if, in silent thought, you respond: “How will I be able to recognize a word which 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.

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.’”