Deuteronomy 18
Open in the reader1The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Joined—shall have no portion or inheritance with Strives-with-God. They are to eat the food offerings to He-Who-Is; that is their inheritance.
2Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, He-Who-Is is their inheritance, as He promised them.
3This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.
4You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.
5For He-Who-Is your God has chosen Joined and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.
6Now if a Joined-One moves from any town of residence throughout Strives-with-God and comes in all earnestness to the place He-Who-Is will choose,
7then he shall serve in the name of He-Who-Is his God like all his fellow Joined-Ones who stand there before He-Who-Is.
8They shall eat equal portions, even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s estate.
9When you enter the land that He-Who-Is your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
11casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.
12For whoever does these things is detestable to He-Who-Is. And because of these detestable things, He-Who-Is your God is driving out the nations before you.
13You must be blameless before He-Who-Is your God.
14Though these nations, which you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, He-Who-Is your God has not permitted you to do so.
15He-Who-Is your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.
16This is what you asked of He-Who-Is your God at Desolate on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of He-Who-Is our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”
17Then He-Who-Is said to me, “They have spoken well.
18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
19And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.
20But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”
21You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that He-Who-Is has not spoken?”
22When a prophet speaks in the name of He-Who-Is and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message He-Who-Is has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.