Deuteronomy 18

₁Moses said: ‘The priests who are the descendants of Levi and the people of the Levi tribe did not get a part of the land among the other Israelites. They did not receive their own land. No, they must get part of the burnt-offerings that belong to the Lord. They can eat that. ₂The priests do not have their own land among the other Israelites. The Lord Himself belongs to them. This is what He has promised them. ₃Here are the things that the Israelites must give to the priests: Every person who sacrifices an ox or a sheep or goat must give a shoulder to the priest, and the jaws and stomach of the animal. ₄You must also give the priest the first wheat, wine and olive oil and the first wool and hair when you shear your sheep and goats. ₅You must do this because the Lord your God has chosen Levi and his descendants from all the tribes to work for Him in the temple.

₆If a Levite lives in any town in the land_of_Israel and he wants to come and work for the Lord, then he may come at any time to the place that the Lord will choose, ₇and he may come and work for the Lord like the other Levites who serve the Lord. ₈He may eat the same food that they eat, even if he has inherited money from his father or grandfather.’

₉‘When you come into the land that the Lord your God gives you, you must not start doing the same wrong things that those people do. God hates them. ₁₀No one may burn his child as a gift to an idol. No one may use magic or witchcraft or do fortune-telling or try to explain what some signs mean. ₁₁No one may try talking to snakes or become a medium or a spiritist. ₁₂The Lord hates everyone who does these things and that is why the Lord is chasing away those people and giving their land to you. ₁₃You must belong to the Lord with all your heart. ₁₄You are now going to take other people's land. Those people use magic and witchcraft and do fortune-telling, but you may never do that. The Lord your God does not want you to do it.’

₁₅Moses said: ‘The Lord your God will send one of you to be a prophet like me. You must listen to that prophet. ₁₆You asked the Lord your God for a prophet when you came together at Mount Horeb and said: “We do not want to listen to the voice of the Lord our God again. We do not want to see this great fire again because then we will die.”

₁₇Then the Lord told me: “They are right. ₁₈I will send them a prophet, and this prophet will be one of their own people. I will tell him what he must say and he will tell them everything that I say to him. ₁₉I will punish everyone who does not listen to and do what I say when I send this prophet. ₂₀If a prophet tells the people something that I did not say, but he says that those are my words, then he must die. You must also kill the prophet if he says that other gods have sent him to say something.”

₂₁Some of you will think: “How will we know if it is the Lord who said these words or if it is not the Lord?” ₂₂When a prophet says it was the Lord who sent him to say that something will happen but it does not happen, then you will know it was not the Lord who said that. It was the prophet himself who spoke those words that he wanted to say. Do not be afraid of what that prophet says.’