Deuteronomy 1:9–18

⁹“I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘^aI am not able to bear the burden of you alone.

¹⁰‘The Lord your God has ^amultiplied 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-fold more than you are and bless you, ^ajust as He has ¹promised you!

¹²‘How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife?

¹³‘^1aChoose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’

¹⁴“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 experienced men, and ¹appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and ²of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶“Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your ¹fellow countrymen, and ^ajudge righteously between a man and his ²fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him.

¹⁷‘^aYou shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall ^bnot fear ¹man, for the judgment is God’s. ^cThe case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

¹⁸“^aI commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.