Deuteronomy 18

Portion for the Levites

1“The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall not have a portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the Lord’s offerings by fire and His #18:1 Or inheritanceproperty. 2They shall not have an inheritance among their countrymen; the Lord is their inheritance, as He #18:2 Lit spoke topromised them.

3“Now this shall be the priests’ portion from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep: they shall give the priest the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the stomach. 4You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep. 5For the Lord your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes, to stand to serve in the name of the Lord always.

6“Now if a Levite comes from any of your #18:6 Lit gatestowns throughout Israel where he resides, and he comes #18:6 Lit with all the desire of his soulwhenever he desires to the place which the Lord chooses, 7then he shall serve in the name of the Lord his God, like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the Lord. 8They shall eat #18:8 Lit portion like portionequal portions, except for what they receive from the sale of their fathers’ estates.

Spiritism Forbidden

9“When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to #18:9 Lit do asimitate the detestable things of those nations. 10There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, a soothsayer, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who consults the dead. 12For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God is going to drive them out before you. 13You are to be blameless before the Lord your God. 14For these nations, which you are going to 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 raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen. 16This is in accordance with everything that you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Do not let me hear the voice of the Lord my God again, and do not let me see this great fire anymore, or I will die!’ 17And the Lord said to me, ‘They have #18:17 Lit done well what they have spokenspoken well. 18I will raise up for them a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him. 19And it shall come about that whoever does not listen to My words which he speaks in My name, I Myself will #18:19 I.e., hold him responsiblerequire it of him. 20But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name, a word which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, #18:20 Lit then thatthat prophet shall die.’ 21And if you say in your heart, ‘How will we recognize the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22When the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the thing does not happen or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you are not to be afraid of him.

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Deuteronomy 18: NASB2020

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