Deuteronomy 18:9-22

New International Version

Occult Practices

⁹When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate^(A) the detestable ways^(B) of the nations there. ¹⁰Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire,^(C) who practices divination^(D) or sorcery,^(E) interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,^(F) ¹¹or casts spells,^(G) or who is a medium or spiritist^(H) or who consults the dead. ¹²Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.^(I) ¹³You must be blameless^(J) before the Lord your God.^(K)

The Prophet

¹⁴The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination.^(L) But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. ¹⁵The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites.^(M) You must listen to him. ¹⁶For 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 nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”^(N)

¹⁷The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. ¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet^(O) like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words^(P) in his mouth.^(Q) He will tell them everything I command him.^(R) ¹⁹I myself will call to account^(S) anyone who does not listen^(T) to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.^(U) ²⁰But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods,^(V) is to be put to death.”^(W)

²¹You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” ²²If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true,^(X) that is a message the Lord has not spoken.^(Y) That prophet has spoken presumptuously,^(Z) so do not be alarmed.