HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 546
D EU T ERO N O MY 1 8
18 “When he sits on the throne as king, he
must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical
priests. 19 He must always keep that copy with
him and read it daily as long as he lives. That
way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by
obeying all the terms of these instructions and
decrees. 20 This regular reading will prevent
him from becoming proud and acting as if he
is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent
him from turning away from these commands
in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he
and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.
Gifts for the Priests and Levites
“Remember that the Levitical priests—
that is, the whole of the tribe of Levi—
will receive no allotment of land among the
other tribes in Israel. Instead, the priests and
Levites will eat from the special gifts given to
the Lord, for that is their share. 2 They will have
no land of their own among the Israelites. The
Lord himself is their special possession, just as
he promised them.
3 “These are the parts the priests may claim
as their share from the cattle, sheep, and goats
that the people bring as offerings: the shoulder,
the cheeks, and the stomach. 4 You must also
give to the priests the first share of the grain, the
new wine, the olive oil, and the wool at shearing time. 5 For the Lord your God chose the tribe
of Levi out of all your tribes to minister in the
Lord’s name forever.
6 “Suppose a Levite chooses to move from his
town in Israel, wherever he is living, to the place
the Lord chooses for worship. 7 He may minister
there in the name of the Lord his God, just like
all his fellow Levites who are serving the Lord
there. 8 He may eat his share of the sacrifices and
offerings, even if he also receives support from
his family.
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A Call to Holy Living
9 “When you enter the land the Lord your God
is giving you, be very careful not to imitate
the detestable customs of the nations living
there. 10 For example, never sacrifice your son
or daughter as a burnt offering.* And do not
let your people practice fortune-telling, or use
sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, 11 or cast spells, or function as mediums
or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.
12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to
the Lord. It is because the other nations have
done these detestable things that the Lord your
God will drive them out ahead of you. 13 But you
must be blameless before the Lord your God.
14 The nations you are about to displace consult
sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your
God forbids you to do such things.”
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True and False Prophets
15 Moses continued, “The Lord your God will
raise up for you a prophet like me from among
your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
16 For this is what you yourselves requested of
the Lord your God when you were assembled
at Mount Sinai.* You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the
voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this
blazing fire, for we will die.’
17 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have
said is right. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you
from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my
words in his mouth, and he will tell the people
everything I command him. 19 I will personally
deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. 20 But
any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my
name or who speaks in the name of another god
must die.’
21 “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know
whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’
22 If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but
his prediction does not happen or come true,
you will know that the Lord did not give that
message. That prophet has spoken without my
authority and need not be feared.
Cities of Refuge
“When the Lord your God destroys the
nations whose land he is giving you, you
will take over their land and settle in their towns
and homes. 2 Then you must set apart three cities of refuge in the land the Lord your God is
giving you. 3 Survey the territory,* and divide the
land the Lord your God is giving you into three
districts, with one of these cities in each district.
Then anyone who has killed someone can flee
to one of the cities of refuge for safety.
4 “If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, the slayer
may flee to any of these cities to live in safety.
5 For example, suppose someone goes into the
forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a
tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing
the other person. In such cases, the slayer may
flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety.
6 “If the distance to the nearest city of refuge
is too far, an enraged avenger might be able to
chase down and kill the person who caused the
death. Then the slayer would die unfairly, since
he had never shown hostility toward the person
who died. 7 That is why I am commanding you to
set aside three cities of refuge.
8 “And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors, and gives
you all the land he promised them, 9 you must
designate three additional cities of refuge. (He
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18:10 Or never make your son or daughter pass through the fire.
18:16 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai. 19:3 Or Keep
the roads in good repair.