Deuteronomy 16:18-20

Expanded Bible

Judges for the People

¹⁸ Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every ·town [^Lgate] the Lord your God is giving you; they must judge the people fairly. ¹⁹ Do not ·judge unfairly [distort justice] or ·take sides [show partiality/favoritism]. Do not ·let people pay you to make wrong decisions [take bribes], because ·that kind of payment [bribes] makes wise people seem blind, and it ·changes the words of good people [undermines the cause of the innocent; Ex. 23:8; Ps. 5:5; Prov. 6:35; 17:8, 23; 21:14; Eccl. 7:7]. ²⁰ Do [pursue] what is ·right [righteous] so that you will live and ·always have [possess] the land the Lord your God is giving you.