Deuteronomy 18:15-22

15 The Lord your God will give you a prophet like me, who is one of your own people. Listen to him.

16 This is what you asked the Lord your God to do when you were gathered at Mount Sinai. You said, "Don't make us listen to the voice of the Lord our God again, and don't make us look at this terrible fire anymore, or we will die."

17 So the Lord said to me, "What they have said is good.

18 So I will give them a prophet like you, who is one of their own people. I will tell him what to say, and he will tell them everything I command.

19 This prophet will speak for me; anyone who does not listen when he speaks will answer to me.

20 But if a prophet says something I did not tell him to say as though he were speaking for me, or if a prophet speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be killed."

21 You might be thinking, "How can we know if a message is not from the Lord?"

22 If what a prophet says in the name of the Lord does not happen, it is not the Lord's message. That prophet was speaking his own ideas. Don't be afraid of him.

Deuteronomy 18:15-22 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.