Deuteronomy 18

Wycliffe Bible

18 Priests and deacons, and all men that be of the same lineage, shall have no part and heritage with the tother people of Israel, for they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and the offerings of him; (The levitical priests, and all the men who be of the tribe of Levi, shall have no part or inheritance with the other people of Israel, for they shall eat the burnt sacrifices, and the other offerings, to the Lord;)

² and they shall not take any other thing of the possession of their brethren; for the Lord himself is their heritage, as he spake to them. (and they shall have no possession among their brothers; for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he promised them.)

³ This shall be the doom of (the) priests, that is, the thing justly given, either granted, of the people, and of them that offer sacrifices (This shall be the priest’s due, that is, the thing rightly given from the people, yea, from those who offer sacrifices); whether they offer an ox, either a sheep, they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the paunch,

⁴ the first fruits of wheat, and of wine, and of oil, and a part of wools of the shearing of sheep. (the first fruits of thy corn, and of thy wine, and of thy oil, and a part of the wools from the shearing of thy sheep.)

⁵ For thy Lord God hath chosen him (out) of all thy lineages, that he stand and minister to the name of the Lord (that he stand to minister in the name of the Lord), he and his sons, [into] without end.

⁶ If a deacon goeth out of one of thy cities of all Israel, in which he dwelleth (If a Levite goeth out of any of thy cities in Israel, in which he liveth), and will come and desireth the place which the Lord (shall) choose,

⁷ he shall minister in the name of his Lord God, as all his brethren deacons, that shall stand in that time before the Lord. (then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, like all of his fellow Levites, who stand before the Lord at that time.)

⁸ He shall take the same part of meats, that also other deacons shall take; besides that that is due to him in his city, by succession, either heritage, of (his) father. (He shall receive the same portion of food, that other Levites receive; besides what is due to him in his own city, by succession, either inheritance, from his father.)

⁹ When thou hast entered into the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, be thou ware lest thou wilt follow the abominations of those folks;

¹⁰ none be found in thee that cleanseth his son, either his daughter, and leadeth by the fire, either that asketh questions of diviners that divine about the altars, and that taketh heed to dreams, and (to) chittering of birds; neither any witch be (among you), (let none be found among thee who maketh his son, or his daughter, to pass through the fire, or who asketh questions of diviners who divine about the altars, or who taketh heed to dreams, or to the twittering of birds; and let there be no witch found among you,)

¹¹ neither any enchanter or tregetour, (that is, he who deceiveth men’s eyes so that a thing seem that which it is not); neither a man take counsel of them that have a fiend speaking within them, neither of false diviners, neither seek of dead men the truth (nor let anyone take counsel from them who have a fiend speaking within them, or from false diviners, nor seek they to learn the truth from the dead).

¹² For the Lord hath abomination of all these things, and for such wickednesses he shall do away them in thine entering. (For the Lord hath abomination for all these things, and for such wickednesses, he shall drive them all out before thee.)

¹³ Thou shalt be perfect, and without filth, with thy Lord God.

¹⁴ These heathen men, whose land thou shalt wield, hear them that work by chittering of birds, and false diviners; but thou art taught in other manner of thy Lord God. (These heathen, whose land thou shalt possess, listen to those who portend by the twittering of birds, and to false diviners; but thou art taught in another way, by the Lord thy God.)

¹⁵ Thy Lord God shall raise a prophet of thy folk, and of thy brethren, as me, to thee, (and) thou shalt hear him; (The Lord thy God shall raise up a prophet like me, for thee, from thy nation, or thy people, yea, one of thy brothers, or one of thy kinsmen, and thou shalt listen to him;)

¹⁶ as thou askedest of thy Lord God in Horeb, when the company was gathered together, and thou saidest, I shall no more hear the voice of my Lord God, and I shall no more see this greatest fire, lest I die. (as thou askedest of the Lord thy God at Mount Sinai, when the congregation was gathered together, and thou saidest, We shall not hear again the voice of the Lord our God, and we shall not see this great fire again, lest we die.)

¹⁷ And the Lord said to me, They have spoken well all things (They have spoken all things well).

¹⁸ I shall raise to them a prophet, like thee, of the midst of their brethren, and I shall put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all things, which I shall command to him. (I shall raise up for them a prophet, like thee, from the midst of their brothers, or of their kinsmen, and I shall put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all the things, that I shall command to him.)

¹⁹ And I shall be venger of him, that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name. (And I shall take vengeance upon anyone, who shall not obey the words, which he shall speak in my name.)

²⁰ Soothly a prophet shall be slain, which is depraved with pride, and will speak in my name those things, which I commanded not to him, that he should say, either by the name of alien gods. (And the prophet who is depraved with pride, and shall speak in my name those things, which I did not command him to say, or shall speak in the name of foreign, or other, gods, that prophet must be put to death.)

²¹ That if thou answerest by privy thought, How may I understand the word, which the Lord spake not? (And if thou ask within thyselves, How can we know that the Lord did not speak this word?)

²² thou shalt have this sign, or token, (to know a false prophet from a true prophet,) if that that that prophet saith before in the name of the Lord, cometh not, the Lord spake it not, but he feigned it through (the) pride of his soul, and therefore thou shalt not dread him. (thou shalt have this sign, to know a false prophet from a true prophet; If what that prophet saith beforehand in the name of the Lord, cometh not, then the Lord did not speak it, but the false prophet feigned his prophecy through the pride of his soul, and so thou shalt not fear him.)