⁹ and present them to the Levitical priests or the judge on duty at that time. They will hear the case and declare the verdict.

²⁴ “They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days.

⁷ “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

¹¹ “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law:

A Plot against Jeremiah

¹⁸ Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.”

¹⁷ then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. ¹⁸ The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, ¹⁹ you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you. ²⁰ Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an evil thing. ²¹ You must show no pity for the guilty! Your rule should be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.