“And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘(A)I am not able to endure you alone. 10 The Lord your God has (B)multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. 11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, (C)just as He has [a]promised you! 12 How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife? 13 (D)Obtain for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and informed from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14 And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and [b]appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, [c]hundreds, [d]fifties, and [e]tens, and officers for your tribes.

16 “Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and (E)judge righteously between a person and his fellow countryman, or the stranger who is with him. 17 (F)You are not to [f]show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are (G)not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. (H)The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 At that time (I)I commanded you all the things that you were to do.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:11 Lit spoken to
  2. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit gave them as
  3. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit commanders of
  4. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit commanders of
  5. Deuteronomy 1:15 Lit commanders of
  6. Deuteronomy 1:17 Lit recognize faces

Moses Reviews the Selected Officials

“I also told you at that time that I won’t be able to sustain you on my own. 10 The Lord your God greatly multiplied your numbers, and today you are like the stars in the sky. 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase your numbers a thousand times more, and may he bless you, as he promised you. 12 How can I bear the burden of you and your bickering all by myself? 13 Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, known to your tribes, and appoint them as your leaders. 14 You answered by saying that this plan is a good thing. 15 So I chose leaders from your tribes, wise and respected men, and I appointed them over you—commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 16 I charged your judges at that time, ‘When you hold a hearing between brothers, judge fairly between a man and his brother or between foreigners. 17 When you hold a hearing, don’t be partial[a] in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing.’ 18 I charged you at that time that you must do all of these things.”

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 1:17 Lit. don’t recognize faces