Deuteronomy 18:10-20

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.”

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.’

Deuteronomy 18:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 18

This chapter gives an account of the provision made for the priests and Levites, with the reason of it, De 18:1-5, of allowance of a country Levite to minister at Jerusalem, and take his portion with the rest, De 18:6-8, and of several persons of bad practices not to be suffered among the people of Israel, De 18:9-14, and of an extraordinary prophet that should be raised up among them, to whom they should hearken, or it would be the worse for them, De 18:15-19, but a false prophet was to be put to death, of whom a sign is given by which he might be known, De 18:20-22.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or never make your son or daughter pass through the fire.
• [b]. Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.