Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. {Take: Heb. Give}

And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,

Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men {must be} just, ruling in the fear of God. {He...: or, Be thou ruler, etc}

He {that} hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, {that} hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this {is} the whole {duty} of man. {Let...: or, The end of the matter, even all that hath been heard, is}

Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: {Gather...: or, Take not away} {bloody...: Heb. men of blood}

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: {adultery: Gr. an adulteress}

And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only {son} from me.

If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: {Execute...: Heb. Judge judgment of truth}

These {are} the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: {execute...: Heb. judge truth, and the judgment of peace}

For the transgression of a land many {are} the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding {and} knowledge the state {thereof} shall be prolonged. {by...: or, by men of understanding and wisdom shall they likewise be prolonged}

And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

I {was} a father to the poor: and the cause {which} I knew not I searched out.

That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he {was} a faithful man, and feared God above many.

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be {any} that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

{He that} putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these {things} shall never be moved.

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to {do} evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest {judgment}: {speak: Heb. answer}

In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; {given...: or, ready to quarrel, and offer wrong, as one in wine}

Also I said, It {is} not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?

I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? {understanding: Heb. hearing}

And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; {for} I fear God:

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and {into} many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; {righteously: Heb. in righteousnesses} {uprightly: Heb. uprightnesses} {oppressions: or, deceits} {blood: Heb. bloods}

Behold, here I {am}: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received {any} bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. {bribe: Heb. ransom} {to blind...: or, that I should hide mine eyes at him}

None calleth for justice, nor {any} pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

And Ahab called Obadiah, which {was} the governor of {his} house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: {Obadiah: Heb. Obadiahu} {the governor...: Heb. over his house}

Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: {in a city: Gr. in a certain city}

And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. {established: or, prepared}

And if they blow {but} with one {trumpet}, then the princes, {which are} heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one {was} an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. {chief...: Heb. house of the father}

And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and {will set them} to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

And it shall come to pass, {as soon as} I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and {so} when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. {Take: Heb. Give}

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men {must be} just, ruling in the fear of God. {He...: or, Be thou ruler, etc}

Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

These {were} the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.

And if they blow {but} with one {trumpet}, then the princes, {which are} heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name {was} Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

The land of Egypt {is} before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest {any} men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: {but} in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

The prince that wanteth understanding {is} also a great oppressor: {but} he that hateth covetousness shall prolong {his} days.

Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do {it}: for {there is} no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

And these {were} the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, {priest: or, chief officer}

And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

For all manner of trespass, {whether it be} for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, {or} for any manner of lost thing, which {another} challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; {and} whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.

And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family {is} poor in Manasseh, and I {am} the least in my father's house. {my family...: Heb. my thousand is the meanest}

The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. {the honourable...: Heb. a man eminent in countenance} {eloquent...: or, skilful of speech}

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, {though} thou be little among the thousands of Judah, {yet} out of thee shall he come forth unto me {that is} to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth {have been} from of old, from everlasting. {everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity}

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in {his} wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger {from his right}, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. {oppress: or, defraud}

Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: {in a city: Gr. in a certain city}

That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he {was} a faithful man, and feared God above many.

And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;

And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.

When a ruler hath sinned, and done {somewhat} through ignorance {against} any of the commandments of the LORD his God {concerning things} which should not be done, and is guilty;

Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

But thine eyes and thine heart {are} not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do {it}. {violence: or, incursion}

And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that {were} of Manasseh.

Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that {is} in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that {are} beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know {them} not.

[A Psalm of Asaph.] God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. {of Asaph: or, for Asaph}