Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed^(A) his sons as Israel’s leaders.^[a]

Judges

¹⁸ Appoint judges^(A) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.^{(B) 19} Do not pervert justice^(C) or show partiality.^(D) Do not accept a bribe,^(E) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.

²¹ I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus^(A) and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

² I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani,^(A) along with Hananiah^(B) the commander of the citadel,^(C) because he was a man of integrity and feared^(D) God more than most people do.

⁵ He appointed judges^(A) in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. ⁶ He told them, “Consider carefully what you do,^(B) because you are not judging for mere mortals^(C) but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict.

¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons,^(A) who rode on seventy donkeys.^(B) He led Israel eight years.

⁴ He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys.^(A) They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.^[a](B)

Gideon’s Ephod

²² The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

²³ But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule^(A) over you.”