Deuteronomy 18

1 The priests and Levites, and all that are of the same tribe, shall have no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel, because they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and his oblations,

“There is not for the priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—a portion and inheritance with Israel; they eat fire-offerings of YHWH, even His inheritance,

2 And they shall receive nothing else. of the possession of their brethren: for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he hath said to them.

and he has no inheritance in the midst of his brothers; YHWH Himself [is] his inheritance, as He has spoken to him.

3 This shall be the priest’s due from the people, and from them that offer victims: whether they sacrifice an ox, or a sheep, they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast:

And this is the priest’s right from the people, from those sacrificing a sacrifice, whether ox or sheep, he has even given to the priest the leg, and the two cheeks, and the stomach;

4 The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of the wool from the shearing of their sheep.

you give to him the first of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your flock;

5 For the Lord thy God hath chosen him of all thy tribes, to stand and to minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

for your God YHWH has fixed on him, out of all your tribes, to stand to serve in the Name of YHWH—him and his sons continually.

6 If a Levite go out of any one of the cities throughout all Israel, in which he dwelleth, and have a longing mind to come to the place which the Lord shall choose,

And when the Levite comes from one of your cities, out of all Israel where he has sojourned, and has come with all the desire of his soul to the place which YHWH chooses,

7 He shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, that shall stand at that time before the Lord.

then he has ministered in the Name of his God YHWH like all his brothers, the Levites, who are standing there before YHWH.

8 He shall receive the same portion of food that the rest do: besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his fathers.

They eat portion like portion, apart from his sold things from the fathers.

9 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee, beware lest thou have a mind to imitate the abominations of those nations.

When you are coming into the land which your God YHWH is giving to you, you do not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations.

10 Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire: or that consulteth soothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, neither let there be any wizard,

There is not found in you one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire, a user of divinations, an observer of clouds, and an enchanter, and a sorcerer,

11 Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.

and a charmer, and one inquiring from a familiar spirit, and a wizard, and one seeking to the dead.

12 For the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations he will destroy them at thy coming.

For everyone doing these [is] an abomination [to] YHWH, and because of these abominations your God YHWH is dispossessing them from your presence.

13 Thou shalt be perfect, and without spot before the Lord thy God.

You must be perfect with your God YHWH,

14 These nations, whose land thou shalt possess, hearken to soothsayers and diviners: but thou art otherwise instructed by the Lord thy God.

for these nations whom you are possessing listen to observers of clouds and to diviners; but you—your God YHWH has not permitted you so.

15 The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation and of thy brethren like unto me: him thou shalt hear:

Your God YHWH raises up for you a Prophet like me out of your midst, out of your brothers—you must listen to Him,

16 As thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and saidst: Let me not hear any more the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see any more this exceeding great fire, lest I die.

according to all that you asked from your God YHWH in Horeb, in the day of the assembly, saying, Do not let me add to hear the voice of my God YHWH, and do not let me see this great fire anymore, and I do not die;

17 And the Lord said to me: They have spoken all things well.

and YHWH says to me, They have done well [in] what they have spoken;

18 I will raise them up a prophet out of the midst of their brethren like to thee: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.

I raise up for them a Prophet like you out of the midst of their brothers, and I have given My words in His mouth, and He has spoken to them all that which I command Him;

19 And he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger.

and it has been [that] the man who does not listen to My words which He speaks in My Name, I require [it] of him.

20 But the prophet, who being corrupted with pride, shall speak in my name things that I did not command him to say, or in the name of strange gods, shall be slain.

Only, the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My Name, which I have not commanded him to speak, and who speaks in the name of other gods, indeed, that prophet has died.

21 And if in silent thought thou answer: How shall I know the word that the Lord hath not spoken?

And when you say in your heart, How do we know the word which YHWH has not spoken?

22 Thou shalt have this sign: Whatsoever that same prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass: that thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the pride of his mind: and therefore thou shalt not fear him.

That which the prophet speaks in the Name of YHWH, and the thing is not, and does not come—it [is] the word which YHWH has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it in presumption; you are not afraid of him.”