וְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֙יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃

And if a Levite shall come from one of your gates from all of Israel where he resides, and he comes with all the desire of his heart, when he wishes to do so, to the place that the Lord will choose, he is permitted to volunteer to perform the Temple service, even at times beyond his appointed Levite watch;

וְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

he shall serve in the name of the Lord his God, like all his brethren the Levites, who stand there before the Lord, on their assigned watch.

חֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָאָבֽוֹת׃ (ס)

When the Levite arrives there, portion by portion they shall eat. He is entitled to a portion together with those serving on the official watch, except for that which was sold by the ancestors. This is referring to agreements, similar to sales contracts, between the ancestors of the Levite families, by which the share of each watch was determined. A Levite will not receive a portion that has been guaranteed to members of a different watch.

כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם׃

When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to act in accordance with the abominations of those nations. The reference here does not necessarily involve the worship of foreign gods or sexual licentiousness. Rather, they are rites that contain an element of magic designed to enable their performers to control the future.

לֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃

There shall not be found among you any one who passes his son or his daughter through the fire, a Canaanite ritual that was designed to consecrate the child or to ensure future success; a sorcerer; a soothsayer [ me’onen ], one who foresees which seasons [ onot ] are favorable for certain activities, or one who tells the future based on the appearance of clouds, [ ananim ]; or a diviner, who tries to discern future events by means of signs, similar to the modern practice of reading tea leaves; or a warlock, someone who seeks esoteric knowledge through unholy means;

וְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים׃

or an enchanter, who engages in sorcery by gathering animals together; or a medium, who seeks to communicate with the dead; or an oracle, one who tells the future by means of the bones of the dead. All these are professional sorcerers who seek to contact hidden worlds. The verse adds: Or a necromancer, an individual who prays to the dead for their assistance.

כִּֽי־תוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה וּבִגְלַל֙ הַתּוֹעֵבֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃

For anyone who performs these is an abomination to the Lord, and due to these abominations the Lord your God dispossesses them, the Canaanites, from before you. These are considered abominations not because they are superstitions, but because those who perform them are devoted to forces of evil, destruction, and death.

תָּמִ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה עִ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)

You, by contrast, shall be wholehearted with the Lord your God. Even if you are beset by troubles which lead you to seek reassurances and answers to your questions, do not look for a response by embracing foreign beliefs and strange forms of worship. Rather, you must wholeheartedly follow God alone.