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 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.

2 a nd he hath no inheritance in the midst of his brethren; Jehovah Himself his inheritance, as He hath spoken to him.

They will have no share of the land among their brothers. The Lord is their share, as He promised 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;

“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.

4 t he 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;

Give him the first of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the first wool of your sheep.

5 f or 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 him and his sons from all your families, to stand and serve in the name of the Lord 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 comes whenever he desires from any of the towns in Israel to the place the Lord chooses,

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

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

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

They 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

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

10 t here 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 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,

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

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

12 ` For the abomination of Jehovah every one doing these, and because of these abominations is Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from thy presence.

For 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.

13 P erfect thou art with Jehovah thy God,

You must be without blame before the Lord your God.

14 f or 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.

For 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

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

16 a ccording 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;

This 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.’

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

And the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken 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 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.

19 a nd it hath been -- the man who doth not hearken unto My words which he doth speak in My name, I require of him.

He will speak in My name. And I will punish whoever will not listen to him.

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 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.’

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

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

22 t hat which the prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, and the thing is not, and cometh not -- it the word which Jehovah hath not spoken; in presumption hath the prophet spoken it; -- thou art not afraid of him.

When 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.