1“The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord’s food offerings[1] as their[2] inheritance. (Nu 18:8; Nu 18:20; Jos 13:14; 1Sa 2:28; 1Co 9:13)2They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.3And this shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. (Le 7:30)4The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. (Nu 18:12; 2Ch 31:5)5For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for all time. (De 17:12)6“And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel, where he lives—and he may come when he desires[3]—to the place that the Lord will choose, (Nu 35:2; De 12:5; Jud 17:7; Jud 19:1)7and ministers in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord, (1Ch 23:6; 2Ch 31:2)8then he may have equal portions to eat, besides what he receives from the sale of his patrimony.[4] (2Ch 31:4; Ne 12:44; Ne 12:47; Ne 13:10)
Abominable Practices
9“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. (Le 18:26; De 12:29)10There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,[5] anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer (Ex 22:18; Le 18:21; Le 19:26; 2Ki 17:17)11or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, (Le 19:31; 1Sa 28:7)12for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. (De 9:4; De 22:5; De 25:16)13You shall be blameless before the Lord your God,14for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.
A New Prophet like Moses
15“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— (Joh 1:21; Joh 1:25; Joh 1:45; Ac 3:22; Ac 7:37)16just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ (Ex 20:19; De 9:10)17And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. (De 5:28)18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (De 18:15; Jer 1:9; Jer 5:14; Joh 4:25; Joh 8:28; Joh 12:49; Joh 17:8)19And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. (Jer 29:19; Jer 35:13; Ac 3:23)20But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or[6] who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ (De 13:5)21And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’—22when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (De 13:1; De 18:20; Jer 28:9)
1The Levitical priests – indeed, the whole tribe of Levi – are to have no land allotted to them or any inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance.2They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.3This is the share due to the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head.4You are to give them the firstfruits of your corn, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,5for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord’s name always.6If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose,7he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord.8He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.
Occult practices
9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.10Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practises divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,11or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.13You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
The prophet
14The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practise sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so.15The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.16For 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 nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.’17The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good.18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.19I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.20But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.’21You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’22If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
Deuteronomy 18
King James Version
1The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.2Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.3And this shall be the priest' due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.4The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.5For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.6And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose;7Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do , which stand there before the LORD.8They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.9When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.13Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.14For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do .15The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;16According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.17And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.20But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
1The priests, who are Levites, won’t receive any part of the land of Israel. That also applies to the whole tribe of Levi. They will eat the food offerings presented to the LORD. That will be their share.2They won’t have any part of the land the LORD gave the other tribes in Israel. The LORD himself is their share, just as he promised them.3Anyone who sacrifices a bull or a sheep owes a share of it to the priests. Their share is the shoulder, the inside parts and the meat from the head.4You must give the priests the first share of the harvest of your corn, olive oil and fresh wine. You must also give them the first wool you clip from your sheep.5The LORD your God has chosen the Levites and their sons after them to serve him in his name always. He hasn’t chosen priests from any of your other tribes.6Sometimes a Levite will move from the town in Israel where he’s living. And he will come to the place the LORD will choose. He’ll do it because he really wants to.7Then he can serve in the name of the LORD his God. He’ll be like all the other Levites who serve the LORD there.8He must have an equal share of the good things they have. That applies even if he has already received money by selling things his family owned.
Practices the Lord hates
9You will enter the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you do, don’t copy the practices of the nations there. The LORD hates those practices.10Here are things you must not do. Don’t sacrifice your children in the fire to other gods. Don’t practise any kind of evil magic at all. Don’t use magic to try to explain the meaning of warnings in the sky or of any other signs. Don’t take part in worshipping evil powers.11Don’t put a spell on anyone. Don’t get messages from those who have died. Don’t talk to the spirits of the dead. Don’t get advice from the dead.12The LORD your God hates it when anyone does these things. The nations in the land he’s giving you do these things he hates. So he will drive out those nations to make room for you.13You must be without blame in the sight of the LORD your God.
The prophet of the Lord
14You will take over the nations that are in the land the LORD is giving you. They listen to those who practise all kinds of evil magic. But you belong to the LORD your God. He says you must not do these things.15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must listen to him.16At Mount Horeb you asked the LORD your God for a prophet. You asked him on the day you gathered together. You said, ‘We don’t want to hear the voice of the LORD our God. We don’t want to see this great fire anymore. If we do, we’ll die.’17The LORD said to me, ‘What they are saying is good.18I will raise up for them a prophet like you. He will be one of their own people. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him to say.19The prophet will speak in my name. But someone might not listen to what I say through the prophet. I will hold that person responsible for not listening.20But suppose a prophet dares to speak in my name something I have not commanded. Or he speaks in the name of other gods. Then that prophet must be put to death.’21You will say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message hasn’t been spoken by the LORD?’22Sometimes a prophet will announce something in the name of the LORD. And it won’t take place or come true. Then that’s a message the LORD hasn’t told him to speak. That prophet has dared to speak on his own authority. So don’t be afraid of what he says.