² and stood before Moses,^(A) Eleazar the priest, the leaders^(B) and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting^(C) and said,

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.

³³ Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, ³⁴ and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him.^(A)

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) 21} But select capable men^(F) from all the people—men who fear^(G) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain^(H)—and appoint them as officials^(I) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case^(J) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share^(K) it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders^(L) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.^{(M) 26} They served as judges^(N) for the people at all times. The difficult cases^(O) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.^(P)

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”