Special Privileges for Priests and Levites
(Numbers 18.8-32)Moses said to Israel:
1 The people of the Levi tribe, including the priests, will not receive any land. Instead, they will receive part of the sacrifices that are offered to the Lord, 2 because he has promised to provide for them in this way.
3 When you sacrifice a bull or sheep, the priests will be given the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach. 4 In addition, they will receive the first part of your grain harvest and part of your first batches of wine and olive oil. You must also give them the first wool that is cut from your sheep each year. 5 Give these gifts to the priests, because the Lord has chosen them and their descendants out of all the tribes of Israel to be his special servants at the place of worship.
6 Any Levite can leave his hometown, and go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped, 7 and then be a special servant of the Lord there, just like all the other Levites. 8 Some Levites may have money from selling family possessions, and others may not. But all Levites serving at the place of worship will receive the same amount of food from the sacrifices and gifts brought by the people.
Don't Do Disgusting Things
Moses said to Israel:
9 Soon you will go into the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The nations that live there do things that are disgusting to the Lord, and you must not follow their example. 10-11 Don't sacrifice your son or daughter. And don't try to use any kind of magic or witchcraft to tell fortunes or to cast spells or to talk with spirits of the dead.
12 The Lord is disgusted with anyone who does these things, and that's why he will help you destroy the nations that are in the land. 13 Never be guilty of doing any of these disgusting things!
A Prophet like Moses
Moses said to Israel:
14 You will go in and take the land from nations that practice magic and witchcraft. But the Lord your God won't allow you to do those things. 15 Instead, he will choose one of your own people to be a prophet just like me, and you must do what that prophet says. 16 You were asking for a prophet the day you were gathered at Mount Sinai and said to the Lord, “Please don't let us hear your voice or see this terrible fire again—if we do, we will die!”
17 Then the Lord told me:
Moses, they have said the right thing. 18 So when I want to speak to them, I will choose one of them to be a prophet like you. I will give my message to that prophet, who will tell the people exactly what I have said. 19 Since the message comes from me, anyone who doesn't obey the message will have to answer to me.
20 But if I haven't spoken, and a prophet claims to have a message from me, you must kill that prophet, and you must also kill any prophet who claims to have a message from another god.
Moses said to Israel:
21 You may be asking yourselves, “How can we tell if a prophet's message really comes from the Lord?” 22 You will know, because if the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. And if it doesn't, you will know that the prophet was falsely claiming to speak for the Lord. Don't be afraid of any prophet whose message doesn't come from the Lord.
1 The Priests of the Leuites, and all the tribe of Leui shall haue no part nor inheritace with Israel, but shall eate the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance. 2 Therefore shall they haue no inheritance among their brethren: for the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath sayd vnto them. 3 And this shalbe the Priests duetie of the people, that they, which offer sacrifice, whether it be bullocke or sheepe, shall giue vnto the Priest the shoulder, and the two cheekes, and the mawe. 4 The first fruites also of thy corne, of thy wine, and of thine oyle, and the first of the fleece of thy sheepe shalt thou giue him. 5 For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stande and minister in the Name of the Lord, him, and his sonnes for euer. 6 Also when a Leuite shall come out of any of thy cities of all Israel, where hee remained, and come with all the desire of his heart vnto the place, which the Lord shall chuse, 7 He shall then minister in the Name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Leuites, which remaine there before the Lord. 8 They shall haue like portions to eat beside that which commeth of his sale of his patrimonie. 9 When thou shalt come into ye land which the Lord thy God giueth thee, thou shalt not learne to do after ye abominations of those nations. 10 Let none be founde among you that maketh his sonne or his daughter to goe thorough the fire, or that vseth witchcraft, or a regarder of times, or a marker of the flying of foules, or a sorcerer, 11 Or a charmer, or that counselleth with spirits, or a soothsaier, or that asketh counsel at ye dead. 12 For all that doe such things are abomination vnto the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doeth cast them out before thee. 13 Thou shalt be vpright therefore with the Lord thy God. 14 For these nations which thou shalt possesse, hearken vnto those that regarde the times, and vnto sorcerers: as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffred thee so. 15 The Lord thy God will raise vp vnto thee a Prophet like vnto me, from among you, euen of thy brethren: vnto him ye shall hearken, 16 According to al that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the assemblie, when thou saidest, Let me heare the voice of my Lord God no more, nor see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And the Lord sayde vnto me, They haue well spoken. 18 I will raise them vp a Prophet from among their brethren like vnto thee, and will put my woordes in his mouth, and he shall speake vnto them all that I shall commaund him. 19 And whosoeuer will not hearken vnto my wordes, which he shall speake in my Name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet that shall presume to speake a worde in my name, which I haue not commanded him to speake, or that speaketh in the name of other gods, euen the same prophet shall die. 21 And if thou thinke in thine heart, Howe shall we knowe the worde which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to passe, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not therefore be afraid of him.