Laws concerning Vows

30 ^[a]Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “This is what the Lord has commanded:

² Then the leaders of Israel—the tribal leaders who had registered the troops—came and brought their offerings.

¹³ Choose some well-respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.’

¹⁴ “Then you responded, ‘Your plan is a good one.’ ¹⁵ So I took the wise and respected men you had selected from your tribes and appointed them to serve as judges and officials over you. Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.

¹⁶ “At that time I instructed the judges, ‘You must hear the cases of your fellow Israelites and the foreigners living among you. Be perfectly fair in your decisions ¹⁷ and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’

¹⁷ “Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun are the men designated to divide the grants of land among the people. ¹⁸ Enlist one leader from each tribe to help them with the task. ¹⁹ These are the tribes and the names of the leaders:

⁴ and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe.

⁵ “These are the tribes and the names of the leaders who will assist you:

¹⁶ These are the chosen leaders of the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.”

²⁵ He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.