¹ 'The levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi will be without share or heritage of their own in Israel; they will live on the foods offered to Yahweh and on his heritage.

² Levi will have no heritage of his own among his brothers; Yahweh will be his heritage, as he has promised him.

³ 'This is what is due to the priests from the people, from those who offer an ox or a sheep in sacrifice: the priest must be given the shoulder, the cheeks and the stomach.

⁴ You must give him the first-fruits of your wheat, of your new wine and of your oil, as well as the first-fruits of your sheep-shearing.

⁵ For Yahweh your God has chosen him from all your tribes to stand before Yahweh your God, to do the duties of the sacred ministry, and to bless in Yahweh's name -- him and his sons for all time.

⁶ 'If a Levite living in one of your towns anywhere in Israel decides to move to the place chosen by Yahweh,

⁷ he shall minister there in the name of Yahweh his God like all his fellow Levites who stand ministering there in the presence of Yahweh,

⁸ eating equal shares with them -- what he has from the sale of his patrimony notwithstanding.

⁹ 'When you have entered the country given you by Yahweh your God, you must not learn to imitate the detestable practices of the nations there already.

¹⁰ There must never be anyone among you who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire of sacrifice, who practises divination, who is soothsayer, augur or sorcerer,

¹¹ weaver of spells, consulter of ghosts or mediums, or necromancer.

¹² For anyone who does these things is detestable to Yahweh your God; it is because of these detestable practices that Yahweh your God is driving out these nations before you.

¹³ 'You must be faultless in your relationship with Yahweh your God.

¹⁴ For these nations whom you are going to dispossess have listened to soothsayers and mediums, but Yahweh your God does not permit you to do this. From among yourselves, from among your own brothers,

¹⁵ Yahweh your God will raise up a prophet like me; you will listen to him.

¹⁶ This is exactly what you asked Yahweh your God to do -- at Horeb, on the day of the Assembly, when you said, "Never let me hear the voice of Yahweh my God or see this great fire again, or I shall die."

¹⁷ Then Yahweh said to me,

¹⁸ "What they have said is well said. From their own brothers I shall raise up a prophet like yourself;

¹⁹ I shall put my words into his mouth and he will tell them everything I command him. Anyone who refuses to listen to my words, spoken by him in my name, will have to render an account to me.

²⁰ But the prophet who presumes to say something in my name which I have not commanded him to say, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die."

²¹ 'You may be privately wondering, "How are we to tell that a prophecy does not come from Yahweh?"

²² When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh and the thing does not happen and the word is not fulfilled, then it has not been said by Yahweh. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. You have nothing to fear from him.'