New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 “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.
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The Levitical priests - that's the entire tribe of Levi - don't get any land-inheritance with the rest of Israel. They get the Fire-Gift-Offerings of God - they will live on that inheritance.
2 They will have no land of their own among the Israelites. The LORD himself is their special possession, just as he promised them.
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But they don't get land-inheritance like the rest of their kinsmen. God is their inheritance.
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.
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This is what the priests get from the people from any offering of an ox or a sheep: the shoulder, the two 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.
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You must also give them the firstfruits of your grain, wine, and oil and the first fleece of your sheep,
5 For the LORD your God chose the tribe of Levi out of all your tribes to minister in the LORD ’s name forever.
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because God, your God, has chosen only them and their children out of all your tribes to be present and serve always in the name of God, your God.
6 “Suppose a Levite chooses to move from his town in Israel, wherever he is living, to the place the LORD chooses for worship.
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If a Levite moves from any town in Israel - and he is quite free to move wherever he desires - and comes to the place God designates 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.
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he may serve there in the name of God along with all his brother Levites who are present and serving in the Presence of God.
8 He may eat his share of the sacrifices and offerings, even if he also receives support from his family.
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And he will get an equal share to eat, even though he has money from the sale of his parents' possessions.
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.
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When you enter the land that God, your God, is giving you, don't take on the abominable ways of life of the nations 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,
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Don't you dare sacrifice your son or daughter in the fire. Don't practice divination, sorcery, fortunetelling, witchery,
11 or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.
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casting spells, holding séances, or channeling with 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.
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People who do these things are an abomination to God. It's because of just such abominable practices that God, your God, is driving these nations out before you.
13 But you must be blameless before the LORD your God.
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Be completely loyal to God, 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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These nations that you're about to run out of the country consort with sorcerers and witches. But not you. God, your God, forbids it.
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.
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God, your God, is going to raise up a prophet for you. God will raise him up from among your kinsmen, a prophet like me. Listen obediently 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.’
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This is what you asked God, your God, for at Horeb on the day you were all gathered at the mountain and said, "We can't hear any more from God, our God; we can't stand seeing any more fire. We'll die!"
17 “Then the LORD said to me, ‘What they have said is right.
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And God said to me, "They're right; they've spoken the truth.
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.
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I'll raise up for them a prophet like you from their kinsmen. I'll tell him what to say and he will pass on to them everything I command him.
19 I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf.
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And anyone who won't listen to my words spoken by him, I will personally hold responsible.
20 But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’
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"But any prophet who fakes it, who claims to speak in my name something I haven't commanded him to say, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die."
21 “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the LORD ?’
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You may be wondering among yourselves, "How can we tell the difference, whether it was God who spoke or not?" Here's how:
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.
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If what the prophet spoke in God's name doesn't happen, then obviously God wasn't behind it; the prophet made it up. Forget about him.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.