Offerings for Priests and Levites
1The 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 food offerings presented to the Lord. 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, the inside parts and the meat from the head. 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 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 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 these things. The nations in the land he’s giving you do these 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 these 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. 19The prophet will speak in my name. But someone might not listen to what I say through the prophet. I will hold that person responsible for not listening. 20But suppose a prophet dares to speak in my name something I have not commanded. 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 what he says.
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祭司とレビ人が受ける分
1祭司とレビ人は、ほかの部族と違って土地がもらえません。彼らは、祭壇にささげられるいけにえやささげ物で生計を立てるのです。 2主のものはみな頂けるのですから、相続地を受ける必要はありません。それが主のお約束です。
3いけにえにする牛や羊の肩、頬、胃は、祭司に与えなさい。 4祭司はそのほかに、収穫を感謝するしるしとしてささげられる穀物の初物、新しいぶどう酒、オリーブ油、羊の毛の初物などももらえます。 5主はすべての部族の中からレビ人を、代々主に仕える者としてお選びになったのです。
6-7レビ人はイスラエルのどこに住んでいようと、いつでも聖所に来てかまいません。そこで仕えているほかのレビ人と全く同様に、彼らの神、主の御名によって仕事ができます。 8そして同じように、いけにえやささげ物の分配も受けられます。貧しいからではなく、受ける権利があるからです。
異教の習慣に倣うな
9約束の地に着いたなら、そこの住民の忌まわしい習慣に染まらないよう、くれぐれも注意しなさい。 10-11自分の子どもを、異教の神々へのいけにえとして焼き殺すような者は死刑です。そのほか、魔術師、占い師、まじない師、蛇使い、霊媒師、魔法使い、呪術師も赦されません。 12これらを行う者は、主に嫌われ憎まれます。ほかの国が滅ぼされるのもそのためです。 13だからあなたがたは、主の前に正しく歩みなさい。 14その地から追い払われる国々はみな、このような悪いことを行いましたが、それに倣ってはいけません。
預言者について
15代わりに主は、イスラエル人の中から私のような預言者を起こされます。その預言者の言うことを聞きなさい。 16これはあなたがたが願ったことです。あれは、ホレブ山（シナイ山）のふもとでした。あの時あなたがたは、『恐ろしくて生きた心地もしません。もう二度と主の恐ろしい声を聞かなくてすむように、山に燃え上がる火を見なくてすむようにしてください』と訴えました。
17主は願いを聞き、私に言われました。『よろしい、言うとおりにしよう。 18イスラエル人の中から、あなたのような預言者を立てよう。わたしが言いたいことはみな、その者に語らせる。 19その者の言うことを聞かないような者は、わたしの教えをいいかげんに扱ったのだから、わたしが罰しよう。 20しかし、預言者が自分の考えをわたしの教えのように見せかけて語ったり、ほかの神々の教えを語ったりしたときは、その預言者は死ななければならない。』
21では、主の教えかそうでないか、どうすればわかるのでしょう。 22預言どおりのことが起こらなければ、それはうそです。ただの偽りです。そんな預言者を恐れることはありません。
