DeuteronomyChapter 18

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1The priests, who are Levites, will have no share of land in Israel. In fact, the whole tribe of Levi will have none. They will eat the food offerings made to the LORD. That is their share. 2They will have no share of land among their brothers. The LORD himself is their share, as he promised them. 3This is the part the priests will get from the people who offer a sacrifice, a bull or a sheep. The priests must be given the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. 4Give them the firstfruits of your grain, your new wine, and your olive oil. Also give them the first wool you cut from your sheep. 5The LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes. They are to stand and serve in his name for all time. 6A Levite may move from any town where he lives in Israel. He may come with all his heart to the place the LORD will choose. 7Then he may serve in the name of the LORD his God. He may serve like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the LORD. 8He must get an equal share of the food, even though he has money from selling his family's property. 9You will go into the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you do, do not copy the disgusting ways of the nations there. 10No one among you must sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire. No one must try to tell the future, use magic, read signs, or practice witchcraft. 11No one must cast spells. No one must go to a medium or a spiritist, or try to talk to the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is disgusting to the LORD. The LORD your God is driving out the nations in front of you because of these disgusting things. 13You must be without fault before the LORD your God. 14You will drive out these nations. They listen to people who use magic and try to tell the future. But the LORD your God has not let you do that. 15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will come from among your own people. You must listen to him. 16This is what you asked the LORD your God for at Horeb. It was on the day all of you gathered there. You said, "Don't let us hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore. Don't let us see this great fire anymore, or we will die!" 17Then the LORD said to me, "What they said is good. 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19The prophet will speak my words in my name. If anyone does not listen to them, I will hold that person responsible. 20But a prophet may dare to speak a message in my name that I did not command him to speak. Or he may speak in the name of other gods. That prophet must be put to death." 21You may ask yourselves, "How can we tell when a message is not from the LORD?" 22A prophet may speak in the name of the LORD, but what he says does not happen or come true. Then that message is not from the LORD. That prophet has spoken out of pride. Do not be afraid of him.