¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.^(A)

⁵ So Moses brought their case^(A) before the Lord,^(B)

³⁴ and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.^(A)

Law Courts

⁸ If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge^(A)—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults^(B)—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose.^{(C) 9} Go to the Levitical^(D) priests and to the judge^(E) who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.^{(F) 10} You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. ¹¹ Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.^{(G) 12} Anyone who shows contempt^(H) for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering^(I) there to the Lord your God is to be put to death.^(J) You must purge the evil from Israel.^{(K) 13} All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.^(L)

⁸ Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.”^(A)

⁶ But some of them could not celebrate the Passover on that day because they were ceremonially unclean^(A) on account of a dead body.^(B) So they came to Moses and Aaron^(C) that same day

¹² They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.^(A)

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses: ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.^(B)

¹⁹ Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.^(A) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes^(B) to him. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions,^(C) and show them the way they are to live^(D) and how they are to behave.^(E)