The Wilderness Years

But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’

He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.

When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.

It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes.

Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.

The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD; that is their inheritance.

Although they have no inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance, as He promised them.

This shall be the priests’ share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach.

You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.

For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and minister in His name for all time.

Now if a Levite moves from any town of residence throughout Israel and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose,

then he shall serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there before the LORD.

They shall eat equal portions, even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s estate.

When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,

casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.

For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.

You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

Though these nations, which you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.

This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”

Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name.

But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”