15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.(A) You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”(B)

17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet(C) like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words(D) in his mouth.(E) He will tell them everything I command him.(F) 19 I myself will call to account(G) anyone who does not listen(H) to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.(I) 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods,(J) is to be put to death.”(K)

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15 (A)Instead, he will send you a prophet like me from among your own people, and you are to obey him.[a]

16 “On the day that you were gathered at Mount Sinai, you begged not to hear the Lord speak again or to see his fiery presence any more, because you were afraid you would die. 17 So the Lord said to me, ‘They have made a wise request. 18 I will send them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will tell him what to say, and he[b] will tell the people everything I command. 19 (B)He will speak in my name, and I[c] will punish anyone who refuses to obey him. 20 But if any prophet dares to speak a message in my name when I did not command him to do so, he must die for it, and so must any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods.’

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 18:15 a prophet … him; or prophets … them.
  2. Deuteronomy 18:18 a prophet … him … he; or prophets … them … they.
  3. Deuteronomy 18:19 He will speak … and I; or When a prophet speaks in my name, I.

15 The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me from your community, from your fellow Israelites. He’s the one you must listen to. 16 That’s exactly what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb, on the day of the assembly, when you said, “I can’t listen to the Lord my God’s voice anymore or look at this great fire any longer. I don’t want to die!”

17 The Lord said to me: What they’ve said is right. 18 I’ll raise up a prophet for them from among their fellow Israelites—one just like you. I’ll put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will hold accountable anyone who doesn’t listen to my words, which that prophet will speak in my name. 20 However, any prophet who arrogantly speaks a word in my name that I haven’t commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet must die.

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