Deuteronomy 18

New International Reader's Version

Offerings for Priests and Levites

18 The priests, who are Levites, won’t receive any part of the land of Israel. That also applies to the whole tribe of Levi. They will eat the food offerings presented to the Lord. That will be their share. ² They won’t have any part of the land the Lord gave the other tribes in Israel. The Lord himself is their share, just as he promised them.

³ Anyone who sacrifices a bull or a sheep owes a share of it to the priests. Their share is the shoulder, the inside parts and the meat from the head. ⁴ You must give the priests the first share of the harvest of your grain, olive oil and fresh wine. You must also give them the first wool you clip from your sheep. ⁵ The Lord your God has chosen the Levites and their sons after them to serve him in his name always. He hasn’t chosen priests from any of your other tribes.

⁶ Sometimes a Levite will move from the town in Israel where he’s living. And he will come to the place the Lord will choose. He’ll do it because he really wants to. ⁷ Then he can serve in the name of the Lord his God. He’ll be like all the other Levites who serve the Lord there. ⁸ He must have an equal share of the good things they have. That applies even if he has already received money by selling things his family owned.

Practices the Lord Hates

⁹ You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you do, don’t copy the practices of the nations there. The Lord hates those practices. ¹⁰ Here are things you must not do. Don’t sacrifice your children in the fire to other gods. Don’t practice any kind of evil magic at all. Don’t use magic to try to explain the meaning of warnings in the sky or of any other signs. Don’t take part in worshiping evil powers. ¹¹ Don’t put a spell on anyone. Don’t get messages from those who have died. Don’t talk to the spirits of the dead. Don’t get advice from the dead. ¹² The Lord your God hates it when anyone does these things. The nations in the land he’s giving you do these things he hates. So he will drive out those nations to make room for you. ¹³ You must be without blame in the sight of the Lord your God.

The Prophet of the Lord

¹⁴ You will take over the nations that are in the land the Lord is giving you. They listen to those who practice all kinds of evil magic. But you belong to the Lord your God. He says you must not do these things. ¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ At Mount Horeb you asked the Lord your God for a prophet. You asked him on the day you gathered together. You said, “We don’t want to hear the voice of the Lord our God. We don’t want to see this great fire anymore. If we do, we’ll die.”

¹⁷ The Lord said to me, “What they are saying is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you. He will be one of their own people. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him to say. ¹⁹ The prophet will speak in my name. But someone might not listen to what I say through the prophet. I will hold that person responsible for not listening. ²⁰ But suppose a prophet dares to speak in my name something I have not commanded. Or he speaks in the name of other gods. Then that prophet must be put to death.”

²¹ You will say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message hasn’t been spoken by the Lord?” ²² Sometimes a prophet will announce something in the name of the Lord. And it won’t take place or come true. Then that’s a message the Lord hasn’t told him to speak. That prophet has dared to speak on his own authority. So don’t be afraid of what he says.