⁹ “And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘^(A)I am not able to endure you alone. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has ^(B)multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. ¹¹ May the Lord, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, ^(C)just as He has ^[a]promised you! ¹² How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife? ^13 (D)Obtain for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and informed from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ ¹⁴ And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ ¹⁵ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and ^[b]appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, ^[c]hundreds, ^[d]fifties, and ^[e]tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶ “Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and ^(E)judge righteously between a person and his fellow countryman, or the stranger who is with him. ^17 (F)You are not to ^[f]show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are ^(G)not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. ^(H)The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ ¹⁸ At that time ^(I)I commanded you all the things that you were to do.