⁸ Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat ^(A)appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, ^(B)to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem.

^8 (A)and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ And ^(B)they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

²⁹ Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were appointed to ^(A)external duties for Israel, ^(B)as officers and judges.

⁴ “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,^{[a] (A)}“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be ^(B)officers and judges,

25 “If there is a ^(A)dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, ^(B)acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty,

⁵ Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the Lord your God has chosen ^(A)them to minister to him and to bless in the name of the Lord, and ^(B)by their word every dispute and every assault shall be settled.

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges

⁸ “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to ^(A)the place that the Lord your God will choose. ^9 (B)And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and ^(C)they shall declare to you the decision. ¹⁰ Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. ¹¹ According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. ¹² The man who ^(D)acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest ^(E)who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So ^(F)you shall purge the evil from Israel. ¹³ And all the people ^(G)shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.

¹⁹ Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall ^(A)represent the people before God and ^(B)bring their cases to God, ²⁰ and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know ^(C)the way in which they must walk and ^(D)what they must do. ²¹ Moreover, look for ^(E)able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²² And ^(F)let them judge the people at all times. ^(G)Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will ^(H)bear the burden with you. ²³ If you do this, God will direct you, you will be ^(I)able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

²⁴ So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. ^25 (J)Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²⁶ And ^(K)they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.