1 The Priests of the Leuites, and all the tribe of Leui shall haue no part nor inheritace with Israel, but shall eate the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance. 2 Therefore shall they haue no inheritance among their brethren: for the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath sayd vnto them. 3 And this shalbe the Priests duetie of the people, that they, which offer sacrifice, whether it be bullocke or sheepe, shall giue vnto the Priest the shoulder, and the two cheekes, and the mawe. 4 The first fruites also of thy corne, of thy wine, and of thine oyle, and the first of the fleece of thy sheepe shalt thou giue him. 5 For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stande and minister in the Name of the Lord, him, and his sonnes for euer. 6 Also when a Leuite shall come out of any of thy cities of all Israel, where hee remained, and come with all the desire of his heart vnto the place, which the Lord shall chuse, 7 He shall then minister in the Name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Leuites, which remaine there before the Lord. 8 They shall haue like portions to eat beside that which commeth of his sale of his patrimonie. 9 When thou shalt come into ye land which the Lord thy God giueth thee, thou shalt not learne to do after ye abominations of those nations. 10 Let none be founde among you that maketh his sonne or his daughter to goe thorough the fire, or that vseth witchcraft, or a regarder of times, or a marker of the flying of foules, or a sorcerer, 11 Or a charmer, or that counselleth with spirits, or a soothsaier, or that asketh counsel at ye dead. 12 For all that doe such things are abomination vnto the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doeth cast them out before thee. 13 Thou shalt be vpright therefore with the Lord thy God. 14 For these nations which thou shalt possesse, hearken vnto those that regarde the times, and vnto sorcerers: as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffred thee so. 15 The Lord thy God will raise vp vnto thee a Prophet like vnto me, from among you, euen of thy brethren: vnto him ye shall hearken, 16 According to al that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the assemblie, when thou saidest, Let me heare the voice of my Lord God no more, nor see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And the Lord sayde vnto me, They haue well spoken. 18 I will raise them vp a Prophet from among their brethren like vnto thee, and will put my woordes in his mouth, and he shall speake vnto them all that I shall commaund him. 19 And whosoeuer will not hearken vnto my wordes, which he shall speake in my Name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet that shall presume to speake a worde in my name, which I haue not commanded him to speake, or that speaketh in the name of other gods, euen the same prophet shall die. 21 And if thou thinke in thine heart, Howe shall we knowe the worde which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to passe, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not therefore be afraid of him.
The Share of the Priests
1 “The priestly tribe of Levi is not to receive any share of land in Israel; instead, they are to live on the offerings and other sacrifices given to the Lord. 2 They are to own no land, as the other tribes do; their share is the privilege of being the Lord's priests, as the Lord has promised.
3 “Whenever cattle or sheep are sacrificed, the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jaw, and the stomach. 4 They are to receive the first share of the grain, wine, olive oil, and wool. 5 The Lord chose from all your tribes the tribe of Levi to serve him as priests forever.
6 “Any Levite who wants to may come from any town in Israel to the one place of worship 7 and may serve there as a priest of the Lord his God, like the other Levites who are serving there. 8 He is to receive the same amount of food as the other priests, and he may keep whatever his family sends him.
Warning against Pagan Practices
9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, don't follow the disgusting practices of the nations that are there. 10 Don't sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars; and don't let your people practice divination or look for omens or use spells 11 or charms, and don't let them consult the spirits of the dead. 12 The Lord your God hates people who do these disgusting things, and that is why he is driving those nations out of the land as you advance. 13 Be completely faithful to the Lord.”
The Promise to Send a Prophet
14 Then Moses said, “In the land you are about to occupy, people follow the advice of those who practice divination and look for omens, but the Lord your God does not allow you to do this. 15 Instead, he will send you a prophet like me from among your own people, and you are to obey him.
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 will tell the people everything I command. 19 He will speak in my name, and I 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.’
21 “You may wonder how you can tell when a prophet's message does not come from the Lord. 22 If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and what he says does not come true, then it is not the Lord's message. That prophet has spoken on his own authority, and you are not to fear him.