"Appoint judges and other officials in every town that the LORD your God gives you. These men are to judge the people impartially.

Always be fair and just, so that you will occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you and so that you will continue to live there.

"It may be that some cases will be too difficult for the local judges to decide, such as certain cases of property rights or of bodily injury or those cases that involve a distinction between murder and manslaughter. When this happens, go to the one place of worship chosen by the LORD your God,

and present your case to the levitical priests and to the judge who is in office at that time, and let them decide the case.

both of you are to go to the one place of worship and be judged by the priests and judges who are then in office.

you are to receive the punishment the accused would have received. In this way your nation will get rid of this evil.

"Do not deny justice to a poor person when he appears in court.

Do not make false accusations, and do not put an innocent person to death, for I will condemn anyone who does such an evil thing.

The God of Israel has spoken; the protector of Israel said to me: "The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God,

and instructed them: "Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the LORD, and he is with you when you pass sentence.

In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the LORD or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city.

Whenever your fellow citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the LORD. Unless you do, you and your fellow citizens will feel the force of the LORD's anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty.

Whenever the city elders met and I took my place among them,

The leaders of the people would stop talking;

Everyone who saw me or heard of me had good things to say about what I had done.

People who were in deepest misery praised me, and I helped widows find security.

I was eyes for the blind, and feet for the lame.

I destroyed the power of cruel men and rescued their victims.

Do you rulers ever give a just decision? Do you judge everyone fairly?

No! You think only of the evil you can do, and commit crimes of violence in the land.

"You must stop judging unjustly; you must no longer be partial to the wicked!

Rescue them from the power of evil people.

Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go---both are hateful to the LORD.

"Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless.

Speak for them and be a righteous judge. Protect the rights of the poor and needy."

and learn to do right. See that justice is done---help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows."

Your leaders are rebels and friends of thieves; they are always accepting gifts and bribes. They never defend orphans in court or listen when widows present their case.

But for just a bribe you let the guilty go free, and you keep the innocent from getting justice.

he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die.

Some day there will be a king who rules with integrity, and national leaders who govern with justice.

Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind and a place to hide from storms. They will be like streams flowing in a desert, like the shadow of a giant rock in a barren land.

(SEE 21:11)

When a legal dispute arises, the priests are to decide the case according to my laws. They are to keep the religious festivals according to my rules and regulations, and they are to keep the Sabbaths holy.

Listen, you rulers of Israel! You are supposed to be concerned about justice,

yet you hate what is good and you love what is evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones.

The law is weak and useless, and justice is never done. Evil people get the better of the righteous, and so justice is perverted.

But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are?

Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not."

The ax is ready to cut down the trees at the roots; every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.