The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Deuteronomy 18
1 The priests and 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 They shall have no inheritance among
their brothers. Yahweh is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.
3 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 Youshall givehimthefirstfruits of your
grain, of your new wine, and of your oil,
and the first of the fleece of your sheep.
5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him
out of all your tribes to stand to minister in
Yahweh’s name, him and his sons forever.
6 If a Levite comes from any of your gates
out of all Israel where he lives, and comes
with all the desire of his soul to the place
which Yahweh shall choose,
7 then he shall minister in the name of
Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the
Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh.
8 They shall have like portions to eat, in
addition to that which comes from the sale
of his family possessions.
9 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 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 tells fortunes, or an
enchanter, or a sorcerer,
11 or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or
a necromancer.
12 For whoever does these things is an
abomination to Yahweh. Because of these
abominations, Yahweh your God drives
them out from before you.
13 You shall be blameless with Yahweh
your God.
14 For thesenations 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 Yahweh your God will raise up to you
a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
16 This is according to allthat youdesired
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 Yahweh said to me, “They have well
said that which they have spoken.
18 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 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 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 You may say in your heart, “How shall
we know the word which Yahweh has not
spoken?”
22 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.