18 “You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your [a]towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 (A)You shall not distort justice, (B)you shall not [b]show partiality; and (C)you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that (D)you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:18 Lit gates
  2. Deuteronomy 16:19 Lit recognize faces

Judges

18 Appoint judges(A) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.(B) 19 Do not pervert justice(C) or show partiality.(D) Do not accept a bribe,(E) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

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