¹⁵ So I took ^(A)the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and ^[a]made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶ “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and ^(B)judge righteously between a man and his ^(C)brother or the stranger who is with him. ^17 (D)You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for ^(E)the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, ^(F)bring to me, and I will hear it.’

^19 (A)You shall not pervert justice; ^(B)you shall not ^[a]show partiality, ^(C)nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and ^[b]twists the words of the righteous.

¹⁵ ‘You shall do no injustice in ^(A)judgment. You shall not ^(B)be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.

⁸ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You ^(A)have chosen, a great people, ^(B)too numerous to be numbered or counted. ^9 (C)Therefore give to Your servant an ^[a]understanding heart ^(D)to judge Your people, that I may ^(E)discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

¹⁰ The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹ Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have ^(F)not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, ^12 (G)behold, I have done according to your words; ^(H)see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

The Reforms of Jehoshaphat

⁴ So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their ^(A)fathers. ⁵ Then he set ^(B)judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, ⁶ and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for ^(C)you do not judge for man but for the Lord, ^(D)who is with you ^[a]in the judgment. ⁷ Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for ^(E)there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no ^(F)partiality, nor taking of bribes.”

^24 (A)Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”