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 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 and he hath no inheritance in the midst of his brethren; Jehovah Himself [is] his inheritance, as He hath spoken to him.
While they don't own land among the other tribes, the Lord takes care of them, as he promised.
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;
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 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;
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 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 has chosen Levi and his descendants from all your tribes to stand before him and serve in his name 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 is convinced he should move from any Israelite town and goes to the place 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,
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 portion as portion they do eat, apart from his sold things, with the fathers.
They will all receive the same food allowances, despite him having received money from the sale of his father's property.
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:
Once you enter the country the Lord your God is giving you, don't copy the offensive ways of the nations there.
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,
There should be no one who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or fortune-telling, uses magic or sorcery,
11 and a charmer, and one asking at a familiar spirit, and a wizard, and one seeking unto the dead.
practices witchcraft, visits a medium or spiritist, or communicates with the dead. Anyone does such things offends the Lord.
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.
It's because of these offensive things that the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you.
13 Perfect thou art with Jehovah thy God,
You are to be innocent of such things in the presence of 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.
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 '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 send you a prophet like me from your people. You must 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;
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 and Jehovah saith unto me, They have done well that they have spoken;
Then the Lord told me, “They are right in what they're saying.
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'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 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.
I will deal with anyone who does not listen to my message that the prophet speaks in my name.
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.
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 'And when thou sayest in thy heart, How do we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? —
You may be wondering, “How can we be sure that a message hasn't come from the Lord?”
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.
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.
