1 The Levitical priests, in fact the whole tribe of Levi, will not have a share in the land allotment with the other Israelites. They are to eat from the food offerings presented to the Lord—that is what they are entitled to receive. 2 While they don't own land among the other tribes, the Lord takes care of them, as he promised. 3 The priests' share of a sacrifice of a bull or a sheep that is brought by the people is as follows. The priests are to be given the shoulder, the jaw, and the insides. 4 You are to provide them with the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, as well as the first wool sheared from your flock. 5 For the Lord your God has chosen Levi and his descendants from all your tribes to stand before him and serve in his name forever. 6 If a Levite is convinced he should move from any Israelite town and goes to the place the Lord will choose, 7 then he shall be allowed to serve in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there in service before the Lord. 8 They will all receive the same food allowances, despite him having received money from the sale of his father's property. 9 Once you enter the country the Lord your God is giving you, don't copy the offensive ways of the nations there. 10 No one is to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire, practice divination or fortune-telling, use magic or sorcery, 11 practice witchcraft, visit a medium or spiritist, or communicate with the dead. Anyone who does such things offends the Lord. 12 It's because of these offensive things that the Lord your God is driving out the nations before you. 13 You are to be innocent of such things in the presence of the Lord your God. 14 Even though these nations, whose land you will occupy, listen to magicians and fortune-tellers, the Lord your God forbids you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will send you a prophet like me from your people. You must listen to him. 16 Remember what you told the Lord your God at Horeb when you were all assembled there. You said, “Please don't let us go on hearing the Lord our God speak to us, or see this terrifying fire anymore! Otherwise we're going to die!” 17 Then the Lord told me, “They are right in what they're saying. 18 I'm going to send them a prophet like you from their people. I will give him my messages, and he will tell them everything I order him to say. 19 I will deal with anyone who does not listen to my message that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 However, if any prophet claims to be delivering a message in my name that I have not ordered him to give, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be executed.” 21 You may be wondering, “How can we be sure that a message hasn't come from the Lord?” 22 When a prophet speaks in the Lord's name and what he says doesn't happen or come true, then that is a not a message from the Lord. The prophet has spoken with contempt for the Lord. Don't be intimidated by him.
Deuteronomy · Free Bible Version
Deuteronomy 18 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
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)