1 “ The Levite religious leaders of the family group of Levi will have no share of the land given to Israel. They will live on the gifts given to the Lord by fire.

The Levitical priests and all the tribe of Levi shall have no part or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings made by fire to the Lord, and His rightful dues.

2 T hey will have no share of the land among their brothers. The Lord is their share, as He promised them.

They shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them.

3 “ When the people bring their gifts, a bull or a sheep, the religious leader is to be given the shoulder, the parts of the face, and the stomach.

And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach.

4 G ive him the first of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the first wool of your sheep.

The firstfruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first or best of the fleece of your sheep you shall give the priest.

5 F or the Lord your God has chosen him and his sons from all your families, to stand and serve in the name of the Lord forever.

For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever.

6 “ If a Levite comes whenever he desires from any of the towns in Israel to the place the Lord chooses,

And if a Levite comes from any of your towns out of all Israel where he is a temporary resident, he may come whenever he desires to the place the Lord will choose;

7 t hen he may work in the name of the Lord his God, like all his brother Levites who stand there before the Lord.

Then he may minister in the name the Lord his God like all his brethren the Levites who stand to minister there before the Lord.

8 T hey will all eat the same share of food, except what they receive from what is sold of their fathers’ lands. Stay Away from What Is Sinful

They shall have equal portions to eat, besides what may come of the sale of his patrimony.

9 “ When you go into the land the Lord your God gives you, do not learn to follow the hated and sinful ways of those nations.

When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of these nations.

10 T here must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or uses secret ways, or does witchcraft, or tells the meaning of special things, or is a witch,

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or who uses divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer,

11 o r uses secret power on people, or helps people talk to spirits, or talks to spirits himself, or talks with the dead.

Or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 F or the Lord hates whoever does these things. And because of these hated things, the Lord your God will drive them out from in front of you.

For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and it is because of these abominable practices that the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

13 Y ou must be without blame before the Lord your God.

You shall be blameless to the Lord your God.

14 F or these nations that you are about to take listen to those who do witchcraft and use secret ways. But the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so. A Man Who Speaks for God

For these nations whom you shall dispossess listen to soothsayers and diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

15 “ The Lord your God will give you a man who speaks for God like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet (Prophet) from the midst of your brethren like me; to him you shall listen.

16 T his is what you asked of the Lord your God at Sinai on the day of the meeting, when you said, ‘Do not let me hear the voice of the Lord my God again. Do not let me see this fire any more, or I will die.’

This is what 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.

17 A nd the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well.

And the Lord said to me, They have well said all that they have spoken.

18 I will give them a man who speaks for God like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth. And he will make known to them all that I tell him.

I will raise up for them a prophet (Prophet) from among their brethren like you, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

19 H e will speak in My name. And I will punish whoever will not listen to him.

And whoever will not hearken to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.

20 B ut that man of God will die who is not careful and speaks in My name what I did not tell him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods.’

But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.

21 Y ou may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know which words the Lord has not spoken?’

And if you say in your hearts, How shall we know which words the Lord has not spoken?

22 W hen a man who speaks for God speaks in the name of the Lord, and what he says does not come true, that word is not from the Lord. The man has spoken on his own. Do not be afraid of him.

When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or prove true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.