Deuteronomy 1:9-18

The Voice

⁹ I had to tell you at the time, “I can’t bear you as a people and deal with all of your cases by myself anymore. ¹⁰ The Eternal your God has kept increasing your numbers, and just look at you today! There are as many of you as there are stars in the sky! ¹¹ I hope the Eternal, the God of your ancestors, makes you a thousand times more numerous and blesses you just as He said He would. ¹² But how can I alone handle your problems and burdens and cases? ¹³ Choose some wise, perceptive, knowledgeable men from your tribes, and I’ll put them in authority over you.” ¹⁴ You told me you thought it was a great plan, ¹⁵ so I took some leaders from your tribes who were wise and well respected; I chose them as authorities over you all—of groups of thousands or hundreds or fifties or tens, and I appointed some as tribal representatives. ¹⁶ Then I gave your judges careful instructions: “Listen to the disputes between your neighbors that are brought to you, and judge them fairly regardless of who is involved—two Israelites or an Israelite and a foreigner. ¹⁷ Don’t show any favoritism when you judge; whether a person is important or unimportant, hear him out. Don’t be intimidated by anybody because it’s really God who is the judge; you are just His agents. If any case is too difficult for you, bring it to me, and I’ll handle it.” ¹⁸ At that time, I told you everything you needed to do.