Deuteronomy · Bible in Basic English
Deuteronomy 18 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 The priests, the Levites, that is, all the tribe of Levi, will have no part or heritage with Israel: their food and their heritage will be the offerings of the Lord made by fire.
1 The priests and the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire and his portion.
2 And they will have no heritage among their countrymen: the Lord is their heritage, as he has said to them.
2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers. Yahweh is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.
3 And this is to be the priests' right: those who make an offering of a sheep or an ox are to give to the priest the top part of the leg and the two sides of the head and the stomach.
3 This shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest: the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts.
4 And in addition you are to give him the first of your grain and wine and oil, and the first wool cut from your sheep.
4 You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep.
5 For he, and his sons after him for ever, have been marked out by the Lord your God from all your tribes, to do the work of priests in the name of the Lord.
5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in Yahweh’s name, him and his sons forever.
6 And if a Levite, moved by a strong desire, comes from any town in all Israel where he is living to the place marked out by the Lord;
6 If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel where he lives, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh shall choose,
7 Then he will do the work of a priest in the name of the Lord his God, with all his brothers the Levites who are there before the Lord.
7 then he shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh.
8 His food will be the same as theirs, in addition to what has come to him as the price of his property.
8 They shall have like portions to eat, in addition to that which comes from the sale of his family possessions.
9 When you have come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, do not take as your example the disgusting ways of those nations.
9 When you have come into the land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations.
10 Let there not be seen among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter go through the fire, or anyone using secret arts, or a maker of strange sounds, or a reader of signs, or any wonder-worker,
10 There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
11 Or anyone using secret force on people, or putting questions to a spirit, or having secret knowledge, or going to the dead for directions.
11 or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all who do such things are disgusting to the Lord; and because of these disgusting things the Lord your God is driving them out before you.
12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you.
13 You are to be upright in heart before the Lord your God.
13 You shall be blameless with Yahweh your God.
14 For these nations, whose land you are taking, give attention to readers of signs and to those using secret arts: but the Lord your God will not let you do so.
14 For these nations that you shall dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you so to do.
15 The Lord your God will give you a prophet from among your people, like me; you will give ear to him;
15 Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
16 In answer to the request you made to the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the great meeting, when you said, Let not the voice of the Lord my God come to my ears again, and let me not see this great fire any more, or death will overtake me.
16 This is according to all that you desired of Yahweh your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, “Let me not hear again Yahweh my God’s voice, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I not die.”
17 Then the Lord said to me, What they have said is well said.
17 Yahweh said to me, “They have well said that which they have spoken.
18 I will give them a prophet from among themselves, like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will say to them whatever I give him orders to say.
18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you. I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.
19 And whoever does not give ear to my words which he will say in my name, will be responsible to me.
19 It shall happen, that whoever will not listen to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
20 But the prophet who takes it on himself to say words in my name which I have not given him orders to say, or who says anything in the name of other gods, will come to his death.
20 But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.”
21 And if you say in your hearts, How are we to be certain that the word does not come from the Lord?
21 You may say in your heart, “How shall we know the word which Yahweh has not spoken?”
22 When a prophet makes a statement in the name of the Lord, if what he says does not take place and his words do not come true, then his word is not the word of the Lord: the words of the prophet were said in the pride of his heart, and you are to have no fear of him.
22 When a prophet speaks in Yahweh’s name, if the thing doesn’t follow, nor happen, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You shall not be afraid of him.
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 18:8–9; Deuteronomy 10:9; 1 Corinthians 9:13–14; Deuteronomy 12:19; Joshua 13:14
- 2 Isaiah 61:6; Lamentations 3:24; Psalm 73:24–26; Genesis 15:1; 1 Peter 2:9
- 3 Leviticus 7:30–34; Deuteronomy 12:27
- 4 Nehemiah 12:44–47; Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:17; Numbers 18:12–24; 2 Chronicles 31:4–10
- 5 Deuteronomy 10:8; Numbers 3:10; Exodus 28:1–14; Deuteronomy 17:12; Numbers 16:5
- 6 Numbers 35:2–3; Deuteronomy 12:5; 1 Timothy 3:1; Psalm 26:8; 1 Peter 5:2
- 7 2 Chronicles 31:2–4
- 8 Nehemiah 12:44; Nehemiah 12:47; 2 Chronicles 31:4; Luke 10:7; Leviticus 7:14
- 9 Deuteronomy 12:29–31; Leviticus 18:26–27; Leviticus 18:30
- 10 Leviticus 19:31; Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 12:31; Acts 19:19
- 11 1 Samuel 28:11–14; Leviticus 19:31
- 12 Leviticus 18:24; Deuteronomy 9:4; Leviticus 18:27
- 13 Genesis 17:1; Matthew 5:48; Genesis 6:9; Philippians 3:12; Psalm 37:37
- 14 Acts 14:16; Genesis 20:6; Psalm 147:19–20; Deuteronomy 18:10
- 15 Acts 3:22–23; Acts 7:37; John 1:45; Deuteronomy 18:18–19; Hebrews 1:1–2
- 16 Exodus 20:19; Deuteronomy 9:10; Deuteronomy 5:23–28; Hebrews 12:19
- 17 Deuteronomy 5:28
- 18 John 8:28; John 12:49–50; Deuteronomy 18:15; John 4:25; John 17:8
- 19 Acts 3:22–23; Hebrews 2:3; Hebrews 12:25–26; Hebrews 10:26; Hebrews 3:7
- 20 Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Jeremiah 27:15; Jeremiah 23:31; Zechariah 13:3; Ezekiel 13:6
- 21 1 John 4:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Revelation 2:2
- 22 Deuteronomy 18:20; 2 Kings 20:1; Jeremiah 28:1–17; Zechariah 1:5–6; Jonah 4:2
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… "They shall have no inheritance, for the Lord Himself is their inheritance." And again, "The priests the Levites shall have no part in the whole tribe of Levi, nor substance with Israel; their substance is the offerings (fructifications) of the Lord: these shall they eat." Wherefore also Paul says, "I do not seek after a gift, but I seek after …
… prophet indeed He was; for it was of Himself He said, that "a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." Again, of Him it was said to Moses, "A Prophet will I raise up to them of their brethren, like unto thee." Like, namely, as to the form of the flesh, but not in the eminence of …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
Moses then, the prophet, saith, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me: but let that "like unto me" be reserved awhile to be examined in its proper place.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)