Deuteronomy 18–21

Offerings for Priests and Levites

18The priests, who are Levites, won’t receive any part of the land of Israel. That also applies to the whole tribe of Levi. They will eat the offerings that are made to the Lord with fire. That will be their share. ²They won’t have any part of the land the Lord gave the other tribes in Israel. The Lord himself is their share, just as he promised them.

³Anyone who sacrifices a bull or a sheep owes a share of it to the priests. Their share is the shoulder, jaws and inside parts. ⁴You must give the priests the first share of the harvest of your grain, olive oil and fresh wine. You must also give them the first wool you clip from your sheep. ⁵The Lord your God has chosen the Levites and their sons after them to serve him in his name always. He hasn’t chosen priests from any of your other tribes.

⁶Sometimes a Levite will move from the town in Israel where he’s living. And he will come to the place the Lord will choose. He’ll do it because he really wants to. ⁷Then he can serve in the name of the Lord his God. He’ll be like all of the other Levites who serve the Lord there. ⁸He must have an equal share of the good things they have. That applies even if he has already received money by selling things his family owned.

Practices the Lord Hates

⁹You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you do, don’t copy the practices of the nations that are there. The Lord hates those practices.

¹⁰Here are things you must not do. Don’t sacrifice your children in the fire to other gods. Don’t practice any kind of evil magic at all. Don’t use magic to try to explain the meaning of warnings in the sky or of any other signs. Don’t take part in worshiping evil powers. ¹¹Don’t put a spell on anyone. Don’t get messages from those who have died. Don’t talk to the spirits of the dead. Don’t get advice from the dead.

¹²The Lord your God hates it when anyone does those things. The nations that are in the land he’s giving you practice the things he hates. So he will drive out those nations to make room for you. ¹³You must be without blame in the sight of the Lord your God.

The Prophet of the Lord

¹⁴You will take over the nations that are in the land the Lord is giving you. They listen to those who practice all kinds of evil magic. But you belong to the Lord your God. He says you must not do those things.

¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. He will be one of your own people. You must listen to him. ¹⁶At Mount Horeb you asked the Lord your God for a prophet. You asked him on the day you gathered together. You said, “We don’t want to hear the voice of the Lord our God. We don’t want to see this great fire anymore. If we do, we’ll die.”

¹⁷The Lord said to me, “What they are saying is good. ¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you. He will be one of their own people. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him to say.

¹⁹“The prophet will speak in my name. But someone might not listen to what I say through the prophet. Then that person will be accountable to me.

²⁰“But suppose a prophet dares to speak in my name something I have not commanded him to say. Or he speaks in the name of other gods. Then that prophet must be put to death.”

²¹You will say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message hasn’t been spoken by the Lord?” ²²Sometimes a prophet will announce something in the name of the Lord. And it won’t take place or come true. Then that’s a message the Lord hasn’t told him to speak. That prophet has dared to speak on his own authority. So don’t be afraid of him or what he says.

Cities to Go to for Safety

19The Lord your God will destroy the nations whose land he is giving you. You will drive them out. And you will settle down in their towns and houses.

²When you do, set apart for yourselves three cities in the land. It’s the land the Lord your God is giving you to take as your own. ³Build roads to those cities and separate the land into three parts. Then anyone who kills another person can run to one of the cities for safety. They are in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.

⁴Here is the rule about a person who kills someone. That person can run to one of those cities for safety. The rule applies to all those who kill a neighbor they didn’t hate and didn’t mean to kill.

⁵For example, suppose a man goes into a forest with his neighbor to cut wood. When he swings his ax to chop down a tree, the head of the ax flies off. And it hits his neighbor and kills him. Then that man can run to one of those cities and save his life.

⁶If he doesn’t go to one of those cities, the dead man’s nearest male relative might become very angry. He might chase the man. If the city is too far away, he might catch him and kill him. But he isn’t worthy of death, because he didn’t hate his neighbor. ⁷That’s why I command you to set apart for yourselves three cities.

⁸The Lord your God will increase the size of your territory. He took an oath and promised your fathers he would do it. He will give you the whole land he promised them. ⁹But he’ll do it only if you are careful to obey all of the laws I’m commanding you today. I’m commanding you to love the Lord your God. I want you to live always as he wants you to live.

When he gives you additional land, you must set apart three more cities. ¹⁰Do it so the blood of those who aren’t guilty of murder won’t be spilled in your land. It’s the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own.

¹¹But suppose a man hates his neighbor. So he hides and waits for him. Then he attacks him and kills him. And he runs to one of those cities for safety. ¹²If he does, the elders of his own town must send for him. He must be brought back from the city and handed over to the dead man’s nearest male relative. The relative will kill him.

¹³Don’t feel sorry for him. He has killed someone who hadn’t done anything wrong. Crimes like that must be punished in Israel. Then things will go well with you.

¹⁴Don’t move your neighbor’s boundary stone. It was set up by people who lived there before you. It marks the border of a field in the land you will receive as your own. The Lord your God is giving you that land. You will take it over.

Witnesses

¹⁵Suppose someone is charged with committing a crime of any kind. Then one witness won’t be enough to prove he is guilty. Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.

¹⁶Suppose a witness who tells lies goes to court and brings charges against someone. The witness says that person committed a crime. ¹⁷Then the two people in the case must stand in front of the Lord. They must stand in front of the priests and the judges who are in office at that time. ¹⁸The judges must check out the matter carefully. And suppose the witness is proved to be lying. Then he has given false witness against another Israelite.

¹⁹So do to the lying witness what he tried to do to the other person. Get rid of that evil person. ²⁰The rest of the people will hear about it. And they will be afraid. They won’t allow such an evil thing to be done among them again.

²¹Don’t feel sorry for that evil person. A life must be taken for a life. An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth. A hand must be cut off for a hand and a foot for a foot.

Going to War

20When you go to war against your enemies, you might see that they have horses and chariots. They might even have an army that is stronger than yours. But don’t be afraid of them. The Lord your God will be with you. After all, he brought you up out of Egypt.

²Just before you go into battle, the priest will come forward. He’ll speak to the army. ³He’ll say, “Men of Israel, listen to me. Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Don’t be scared. Don’t be afraid. Don’t panic. Don’t be terrified by them. ⁴The Lord your God is going with you. He’ll fight for you. He’ll help you win the battle over your enemies.”

⁵The officers will speak to the army. They will say, “Has anyone built a new house and not started to live in it? Let him go home. If he doesn’t, he might die in battle. Then someone else will live in his house. ⁶Has anyone planted a vineyard and not started to enjoy it? Let him go home. If he doesn’t, he might die in battle. Then someone else will enjoy his vineyard. ⁷Has anyone promised to get married to a woman but hasn’t done it yet? Let him go home. If he doesn’t, he might die in battle. Then someone else will marry her.” ⁸The officers will continue, “Is any man afraid? Is anyone scared? Let him go home. Then the other men won’t lose hope too.”

⁹The officers will finish speaking to the army. When they do, they’ll appoint commanders over it.

¹⁰Suppose you march up to attack a city. Before you attack it, offer peace to its people. ¹¹Suppose they accept your offer and open their gates. Then force all of the people in the city to be your slaves. They will have to work for you.

¹²But suppose they refuse your offer of peace and prepare for battle. Then surround that city. Get ready to attack it. ¹³The Lord your God will hand it over to you. When he does, kill all of the men with your swords.

¹⁴But you can take the women and children for yourselves. You can also take the livestock and everything else in the city. What you have captured from your enemies you can use for yourselves. The Lord your God has given it to you.

¹⁵That’s how you must treat all of the cities that are far away from you. Those cities don’t belong to the nations that are nearby.

¹⁶But what about the cities the Lord your God is giving you as your own? Kill everything in those cities that breathes. ¹⁷Completely destroy them. Wipe out the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. That’s what the Lord your God commanded you to do.

¹⁸If you don’t destroy them, they’ll teach you to follow all of the things the Lord hates. He hates the way they worship their gods. If you do those things, you will sin against the Lord…