Deuteronomy 18

1 'There is not to the priests the Levites — all the tribe of Levi — a portion and inheritance with Israel; fire-offerings of Jehovah, even His inheritance, they eat,

“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 he hath no inheritance in the midst of his brethren; Jehovah Himself [is] his inheritance, as He hath spoken to him.

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 'And this is the priest's right from the people, from those sacrificing a sacrifice, whether ox or sheep, he hath even given to the priest the leg, and the two cheeks, and the stomach;

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 the first of thy corn, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy flock, thou dost give to him;

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

5 for on him hath Jehovah thy God fixed, out of all thy tribes, to stand to serve in the name of Jehovah, He and his sons continually.

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 'And when the Levite cometh from one of thy cities out of all Israel, where he hath sojourned, and hath come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which Jehovah doth choose,

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 then he hath ministered in the name of Jehovah his God, like all his brethren, the Levites, who are standing there before Jehovah,

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 portion as portion they do eat, apart from his sold things, with the fathers.

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 'When thou art coming in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations:

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 there is not found in thee one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire, a user of divinations, an observer of clouds, and an enchanter, and a sorcerer,

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 and a charmer, and one asking at a familiar spirit, and a wizard, and one seeking unto the dead.

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 abomination of Jehovah [is] every one doing these, and because of these abominations is Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from thy presence.

For the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival.

13 Perfect thou art with Jehovah thy God,

You shall be perfect and without blemish with the Lord your God.

14 for these nations whom thou art possessing, unto observers of clouds, and unto diviners, do hearken; and thou — not so hath Jehovah thy God suffered thee.

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 'A prophet out of thy midst, out of thy brethren, like to me, doth Jehovah thy God raise up to thee — unto him ye hearken;

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 according to all that thou didst ask from Jehovah thy God, in Horeb, in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not add to hear the voice of Jehovah my God, and this great fire let me not see any more, and I die not;

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 Jehovah saith unto me, They have done well that they have spoken;

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

18 a prophet I raise up to them, out of the midst of their brethren, like to thee; and I have given my words in his mouth, and he hath spoken unto them all that which I command 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 and it hath been — the man who doth not hearken unto My words which he doth speak in My name, I require [it] of him.

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 'Only, the prophet who presumeth to speak a word in My name — that which I have not commanded him to speak — and who speaketh in the name of other gods — even that prophet hath died.

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 'And when thou sayest in thy heart, How do we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? —

But if, in silent thought, you respond: “How will I be able to recognize a word which the Lord has not spoken?”

22 that which the prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, and the thing is not, and cometh not — it [is] the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet spoken it; — thou art not afraid of him.

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.’”