Study Desk

"The LORD our God ^(C1)spoke to us at Horeb, saying, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

'Turn and set out on your journey, and go to ^(C1)the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the lowland, in ^(C2)the ^(F1)Negev, by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

'See, I have placed the land before you; go in and take possession of the land which the LORD ^(C1)swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and their ^(F1)descendants after them.'

"And I spoke to you at that time, saying, '^(C1)I am not able to endure you alone.

'The LORD your God has ^(C1)multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number.

'May the LORD, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, ^(C1)just as He has ^(F1)promised you!

'How can I alone endure the burden and weight of you and your strife?

'^(C1)Obtain for yourselves men who are wise, discerning, and informed from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.'

"And you answered me and said, 'The thing which you have said to do is good.'

"So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and informed men, and ^(F1)appointed them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, ^(F2)hundreds, ^(F2)fifties, and ^(F2)tens, and officers for your tribes.

"Then I ordered your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen and ^(C1)judge righteously between a person and his fellow countryman, or the stranger who is with him.

'^(C1)You are not to ^(F1)show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are ^(C2)not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God's. ^(C3)The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'

"At that time ^(C1)I commanded you all the things that you were to do.