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 priests the Levites, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire and his portion.

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 brothers. Yahweh is their inheritance, as he has spoken to 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.

This shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts.

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

The first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.

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 Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in Yahweh’s name, him and his sons for ever.

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

If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel, where he lives as a foreigner, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh shall 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 shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh.

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 like portions to eat, in addition to that which comes from the sale of his family possessions.

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 have come into the land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of those 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 with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, 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 consulter with a familiar spirit, 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 whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you.

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

You shall be perfect with Yahweh 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 that you shall dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you so to do.

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.

Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.

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 according to all that you desired of Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again Yahweh my God’s voice, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.”

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

Yahweh said to me, “They have well said that which 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 them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.

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

It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I 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 speaks a word presumptuously 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?’

You may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which Yahweh 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 Yahweh’s name, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him.