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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 There should be no one who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or fortune-telling, uses magic or sorcery, 11 practices witchcraft, visits a medium or spiritist, or communicates with the dead. Anyone 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.

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© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher