¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, ^(A)and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.

Justice

¹⁸ “You shall appoint ^(A)judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

⁵ He appointed ^(A)judges in the land in all ^(B)the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, ⁶ and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, ^(C)for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. ⁷ Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for ^(D)there is no injustice with the Lord our God, ^(E)or partiality or taking bribes.”

⁸ Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat ^(F)appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, ^(G)to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. ⁹ And he charged them: ^(H)“Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, ^(I)and with your whole heart: ^10 (J)whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and ^(K)wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt.

^3 (A)Therefore, brothers,^[a] pick out from among you seven men ^(B)of good repute, ^(C)full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.