55 Bible Verses about Government

Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy; [the] rod of discipline will drive it from him.

Discipline your child, for there is hope, but on his destruction do not set your desire.

Do not withhold discipline from a child, if you will beat him with the rod, he will not die.

He who withholds his rod hates his child, but he who loves him {gives him} discipline.

By justice a king gives stability [to] a land, but a man of bribes will ruin it.

In the multitude of people is the glory of the king, but without a population, a prince [is] ruined.

[It is] not for the kings, O Lemuel; drinking wine [is] not for the kings, nor [is] strong drink for rulers. Or else he will drink and forget what has been decreed, and he will pervert the rights of all the {afflicted}. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those {in bitter distress}. read more.
He will drink and forget his poverty, and his misery he will not remember [any] more.

The God of Israel said to me, the rock of Israel has spoken; 'He who rules over mankind rules righteously, in the fear of God.

For you, O God, you have heard my vows. You have given [me] the heritage of those who fear your name. You will add days to the days of the king, his years like [those of] {many generations}. May he live forever in the presence of God. Appoint loyal love and faithfulness to preserve him.

Because you are raging against me, and your arrogance has come up in my ears, I will put my nose ring in your nose and my bridle in your mouth. And I will turn you back on the way that you have come.

and I will turn you around, and I will place hooks in your cheeks, and I will bring you out and all of your horses and horsemen {fully armed}, all of them, great crowd, holding shield, and small shield, [and] holding swords, all of them.

who frustrates [the] signs of oracle priests and makes a fool of diviners, who drives [the] wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,

Streams of water [are] the heart of a king in the hand of Yahweh; {wherever} he will desire, he will turn.

He leads priests away stripped, and he overthrows {the members of ancient families}.

"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: "This is what the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation, says: 'I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! Thus, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you out of my mouth! read more.
Because you are saying, "I am rich, and have become rich, and I have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, in order that you may become rich, and white clothing, in order that you may be clothed and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and eye salve to smear on your eyes, in order that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent! Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also have conquered and have sat down with my Father on his throne.

Because of this, I endure all [things] for the sake of the chosen, in order that they also may obtain salvation [which is] in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying [is] trustworthy: For if we died with [him], we will also live with [him]; if we endure, we will also reign with [him]; if we deny [him], he also will deny us;

"{As for me, Daniel}, my spirit was troubled {within me}, and the visions of my head terrified me. [So] I approached one of the attendants and I asked him [about] the truth concerning all this; and he told me [that] he would make known to me the explanation of the matter. 'These great beasts which are four [in number] [are] four kings [who] will arise from the earth. read more.
But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will take possession of the kingdom forever, {forever and ever}.' "Then I desired to make certain concerning the fourth beast that was different from {all the others}--exceedingly terrifying, with its iron teeth and its claws of bronze; it devoured and crushed [and] stamped the remainder with its feet-- and concerning the horns that [were] on its head, and [concerning] [the] other [horn] that came up and {before which three horns fell}, and this horn {had eyes} and mouth speaking {boastfully}, and its appearance [was] larger than its companions. {I continued watching}, and this horn made war with [the] holy ones and it prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came and gave judgment to [the] holy ones of [the] Most High; and the time arrived and [the] holy ones took possession of the kingdom. "And he said, 'The fourth beast [is] the fourth kingdom [that] will be on the earth that will be different from all the [other] kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and it will trample it and it will crush it. And [as for] the ten horns [coming] from it, [from] this kingdom ten kings will arise, and another will arise after them. And he will be different from the earlier [ones], and he will subdue three kings. And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out [the] holy ones of the Most High, and he will attempt to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time and two times and half a time. Then the court will sit, and his dominion will be removed, to be eradicated and to be destroyed {totally}. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to [the] nation of [the] holy ones of the Most High; his kingdom {is an everlasting kingdom}, and all the dominions will serve and obey him.'

For the Son of Man is going according to what has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" And they began to debate with one another who then of them it could be who was going to do this. And a dispute also occurred among them as to which of them was recognized as being greatest. read more.
So he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called benefactors. But you [are] not [to be] like this! But the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. For who [is] greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? [Is it] not the one who reclines at the table? But I am in your midst as the one who serves. "And you are the ones who have remained with me in my trials, and I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: "This is what the Son of God says, the one who has his eyes like a fiery flame and his feet like fine bronze: 'I know your works, and your love, and faith, and service, and patient endurance--and your last works [are] greater than the first. But I have against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess, and teaches and deceives my slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. read more.
And I have given her time in order to repent, and she did not want to repent from her sexual immorality. Behold, I am throwing her into a sickbed and those who committed adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent from her deeds. And I will kill her children with deadly disease, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. But I say to you, to the rest [who are] in Thyatira, all those who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep [things] of Satan, as they say, I do not put upon you any other burden. Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. And the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him authority over the nations, and "he will shepherd them with an iron rod; he will break [them] in pieces like jars made of clay," as I also have received from my Father, and I will give him the morning star.

Anyone who compounds perfume like it and who puts it on a stranger will be cut off from his people.'"

They answered and said to him, "You were born completely in sin, and are you attempting to teach us?" And they threw him out.

You will eat unleavened bread for seven days. Surely on the first day you shall remove yeast from your houses, because anyone [who] eats [food with] yeast from the first day until the seventh day--that person will be cut off from Israel.

And the person who eats meat from the fellowship offerings' sacrifice, which [is] for Yahweh, and whose uncleanness [is] upon him--that person shall be cut off from his people.

and he does not bring it to [the] tent of assembly's entrance to {sacrifice} it for Yahweh, then that man shall be cut off from his people.

And the word of Yahweh came to me, {saying}, "Like this potter, am I not able to do to you, O house of Israel?" {declares} Yahweh. "Look, like the clay in the hand of the potter, so [are] you in my hand, O house of Israel. One moment I speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to uproot, and to tear down, and to destroy [it]. read more.
But [if] that nation turns back from its evil that I have threatened against it, then I will relent concerning the disaster that I planned to do to it. And the [next] moment I speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, to build, and to plant [it]. But [if] it does evil in my sight, to not listen to my voice, then I will relent concerning the good that I said I would do [to] it.

The sentence [is] by [the] decree of [the] watchers, and the decision [by] [the] command of [the] holy [ones], {in order that} the living will know that the Most High [is] sovereign over [the] kingdom of humankind, and {to whomever} he wills he gives it, and he [even] sets [the] humblest of men over it."

Who among all of these does not know that Yahweh's hand has done this? In whose hand [is] the life of all living things and {the breath of every human being}? Does not [the] ear test words and [the] palate taste food for itself? read more.
Wisdom [is] with [the] aged, and understanding [is in] length of days. "With him [are] wisdom and powerful deeds, and to him [belong] counsel and understanding. If he tears down, then it will not be rebuilt; if he shuts a man in, then he cannot be freed. Look, [if] he withholds the water, then they dry up; and [if] he sends them out, then they overwhelm [the] land. "Strength and sound wisdom [are] with him; [the] deceived and [the] deceiver [are] his. He leads counselors away stripped, and he makes fools of judges. He loosens [the] fetters of kings, and he binds a loincloth on their loins. He leads priests away stripped, and he overthrows {the members of ancient families}. He deprives [the] trustworthy of speech, and he takes away [the] discretion of elders. He pours contempt on noblemen, and he loosens [the] girdle of [the] mighty. "He uncovers mysteries out of darkness, and he brings deep shadow to the light. He makes the nations great, then he destroys them; he expands the nations, then he guides them.

[He is] the one who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants [are] like grasshoppers; the one who stretches out [the] heavens like a veil and spreads them out like tent to live [in], the one who brings princes to nothing; he makes rulers of [the] earth like nothing.

And you must command them for their masters, {saying}, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, this you shall say to your masters: "I have made the earth with humankind and animals that [are] on the face of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever is right in my eyes. And now I myself have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and also the animals of the field I have given to him to serve him. read more.
And all the nations will serve him, and his son, and {his grandson}, until the coming of the time of {his own} land. Then many nations and great kings will let him work. "But it will be [that] the nation or kingdom that will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put his neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, and with the famine, and with the plague," {declares} Yahweh, "until I have destroyed it with my hand.

And he began to teach them that it was necessary [for] the Son of Man to suffer many [things] and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise.

Now [when it] was early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death. And [after] tying him up, they led [him] away and handed [him] over to Pilate the governor.

And [after] he arrived at the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him [while he] was teaching, saying, "By what authority are you doing these [things]? And who gave you this authority?"

And as soon as morning [came], [after] formulating a plan, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole Sanhedrin, tied up Jesus, led [him] away, and handed [him] over to Pilate.

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas, and plotted in order that they could arrest Jesus by stealth and kill [him]. But they were saying, "Not during the feast, so that there will not be an uproar among the people."

If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And I will give directions about the remaining [matters] whenever I come.

Both the apostles and the elders assembled to deliberate concerning this matter.

For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us to place on you no greater burden except these necessary things:

(but if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to [him] as a father, younger men as brothers,

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and {will take up residence with him}. The one who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. These [things] I have spoken to you [while] residing with you. read more.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name--that one will teach you all [things], and will remind you of everything that I said to you. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you--not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let [them] be afraid. You have heard that I said to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I [am]. And now I have told you before [it] happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has {no power} {over} me.

But if indeed our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And [when he] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, read more.
and concerning righteousness, because I am going away to the Father and you will see me no more, and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing, but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God predestined before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew. For if they had known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love and his wonderful deeds for [the] children of humankind, and let them exalt him in [the] congregation of [the] people, and praise him in [the] assembly of [the] elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness and springs of water into thirsty ground, read more.
a fruitful land into a salty place, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a wilderness into a pool of water and a dry land into springs of water. And he settles [the] hungry there, so that they may establish a city to inhabit, and sow fields and plant vineyards, {that they may yield fruit at harvest}. And he blesses them and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle become few. When they become few and they are bent down from [the] oppression of calamity and grief, [he] pours contempt on princes and causes them to wander in a trackless waste.

And they ate and drank before Yahweh on that day with great joy. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed [him] commander for Yahweh, and Zadok the priest.

And all the assembly {made} a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, "Behold, the son of the king shall reign as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is [the] spirit, and place your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community, and {commission him} {in their sight}. You will give to him from your authority so that the entire community of Israel will {obey him}. read more.
He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will ask for him by the decision of the Urim before Yahweh. On {his command} they will go out, and at {his command} they will come in, [both] he and all of the {Israelites} with him, the entire community." Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community. And he placed his hands on him and {commissioned him} just as Yahweh spoke by the hand of Moses.

Then Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people!" And all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "Look, you are old and your sons do not follow in your ways. So then appoint a king for us to judge us, like all the nations. But the matter {was displeasing to Samuel} when they said, "Give us a king to judge us," so Samuel prayed to Yahweh. read more.
Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Like all the deeds they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt until this day, they have forsaken me and have served other gods--so they [are] doing to you also. And so then, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly warn them; you must explain to them the custom of the king who will rule over them." So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who [were] requesting a king from him. He said, "This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and [those] {to do his plowing} and to reap his harvest, and [those] to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters as [his] perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give [them] to his servants. He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give [it] to his high officials and to his servants. He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young men and your donkeys and {will use them for his projects}. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you [yourselves] will become his servants. So you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day!" However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, "No, but there must be a king over us, so that we {also} may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles." Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them." So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, "Each of you go to his [own] town."

A king who judges with truthfulness [to] the poor, his throne will be established forever.

Formerly you spoke in a vision to your faithful ones, and said, "I have bestowed help on a mighty man; I have exalted one chosen from [the] people. I have found David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him, with whom my hand will be steadfast. Surely my arm will strengthen him. read more.
[The] enemy will not deceive him, and no {evil man} will afflict him. But I will crush his adversaries before him, and I will strike those who hate him. And [so] my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him, and in my name his horn will rise up. And I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He will call out [to] me, 'You [are] my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.' I will also make him [the] firstborn, [the] highest of [the] kings of [the] earth. Forever I will keep my loyal love for him, and my covenant [will be] reliable for him. I will also establish his offspring forever, and his throne as [the] days of [the] heavens. If his sons forsake my law and do not walk in my judgments, if they defile my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with rod, and their guilt with wounds. But I will not break off my loyal love from him, and I will not be false against my faithfulness. I will not defile my covenant, or alter what proceeded from my lips. Once I have sworn by my holiness, 'I will surely not lie to David, His offspring will endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. Like [the] moon it will be steadfast forever, and [like] an enduring witness in the sky.'" Selah

So then, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture {from following} the sheep to be a leader over my people, over Israel, and I have been with you {everywhere you went}. I have cut off all of your enemies from in front of you, and I will make a great name for you, as the name of the great [ones] who [are] on the earth. I will make a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them so that they can dwell {in their own place}. They will not tremble [any] longer, and the children of wickedness will not afflict them again, as in the former days. read more.
{In the manner that} I appointed judges over my people Israel, I will give you rest from all your enemies. And Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will build a house for you. When your days [are] full and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you who will go out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son for me, whom I will punish when he does wrong, with a rod of men and with blows of the {human beings}. But my loyal love shall not depart from him as I took [it] from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever." '"

And King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. {I myself wanted} to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the footstool of our God, and I prepared to build. But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name because you [are] a man of war, and you have shed blood.' But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel. read more.
And from all my sons--for Yahweh has given many sons to me--he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel. And he said to me, 'Solomon your son, he himself shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him as a son to myself, and I myself will be as a father to him, and I will establish his kingdom forever if {he firmly performs} my commandments and my judgments as [he has to] this day.'

Look, God [is] mighty but does not despise [anyone]; [he is] mighty [and] {good in understanding}. He does not keep [the] wicked alive but grants justice [to the] afflicted. He does not withdraw his eyes from [the] righteous, but he sets them forever with kings on the throne, and they are exalted.

Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

And all the people together answered and said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do." And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.

On the {command of Yahweh} the {Israelites} would set out, and on the {command of Yahweh} they encamped; all the days that the cloud dwelled on the tabernacle they encamped.

{in order for you to enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God}, and into his oath that Yahweh your God [is] {making with you} {today},

But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; Yahweh will rule over you."

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, [when] Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, all of whom brought charges against Paul to the governor.

Moreover, from the appointed day I was made their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes--twelve years. My brothers and I did not eat the food [allowance] of the governor.

Rehum the royal officer and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows (then Rehum the royal officer, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the Erechs, the Babylonians, the Susians (that is the Elamites)

And [after] tying him up, they led [him] away and handed [him] over to Pilate the governor.

Reject a divisive person after a first and second admonition,

among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, in order that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

Now I, Paul, appeal to you myself by the humility and gentleness of Christ, who {when I am present in person} [am] humble among you, but [when I] am absent am bold toward you--

[I have decided] to hand over such a person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, in order that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

I have already said when was present the second time, and [although I] am absent now also say in advance to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare [anyone],

Thus says Yahweh: "Heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] the footstool for my feet. Where [is] this house that you would build for me? And where [is] this resting place for me?

Your throne, O God, [is] forever and ever. A scepter of uprightness [is] the scepter of your kingdom.

Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

And I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it, {from whose presence} earth and heaven fled, and a place was not found for them.

But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, because it is the throne of God,

For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. {His dominion will grow continually, and to peace there will be no end} on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and sustain it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

Yahweh will reign as king forever and ever."

Say to God, "How awesome are your works! Because of the greatness of your strength, your enemies will cringe before you. All the earth will bow in worship to you, and sing [praise] to you. They will sing [the praise of] your name." Selah Come and {consider} the works of God; [he is] awesome [in his] dealings with the children of humankind. read more.
He turned [the] sea into dry ground; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him. [He] rules by his might forever; his eyes keep watch on the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Yahweh will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, {throughout all generations}. Praise Yah.

And the seventh angel blew the trumpet, and there was a loud voice in heaven saying, "The kingdom of the world has become [the kingdom] of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign {forever and ever}." And the twenty-four elders [who are] seated on their thrones before God fell down on their faces and worshiped God, saying, "We give thanks to you, Lord God All-Powerful, the one who is and the one who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain [the sins] of any, they are retained."

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven."

"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.

And as they went through the towns, they passed on to them to observe the rules that had been decided by the apostles and elders [who were] in Jerusalem.

Obey your leaders and submit [to them], for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not [with] groaning, for this [would be] unprofitable for you.

Remind them to be subject to the rulers [and] to the authorities, to obey, to be prepared for every good work,

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for [there] is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God. So then, the one who resists authority resists the ordinance [which is] from God, and those who resist will receive condemnation on themselves. For rulers are not a [cause of] terror for a good deed, but for bad [conduct]. So do you want not to be afraid of authority? Do what [is] good, and you will have praise from it, read more.
for it is God's servant to you for what [is] good. But if you do what [is] bad, be afraid, because it does not bear the sword to no purpose. For it is God's servant, the one who avenges for punishment on the one who does [what is] bad. Therefore [it is] necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for [the authorities] are servants of God, busily engaged in this very [thing]. Pay to everyone [what is] owed: [pay] taxes to whom taxes [are due]; [pay] customs duties to whom customs duties [are due]; [pay] respect to whom respect [is due]; [pay] honor to whom honor [is due].

Therefore tell us what you think. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" But [because he] knew their maliciousness, Jesus said, "Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? Show me the coin for the tax!" So they brought him a denarius. read more.
And he said to them, "Whose image and inscription [is] this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!"

So he said to them, "Well then, give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!"

Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king as having supreme authority, or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good. For the will of God is as follows: [by] doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish people. read more.
[Live] as free [persons], and not using your freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God. Honor all [people], love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests [and] said, "What are you willing to give me if I in turn deliver him to you?" So they set out for him thirty silver coins.

So she wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who [were] dwelling with Naboth in his city. She had written in the letters, saying, "Call a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. Seat two men, {scoundrels}, opposite him. Let them witness against him saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then you shall bring him out and stone him so that he dies." read more.
The men of his city and the elders and nobles who were living in his city did according to what Jezebel had sent to them, as [was] written in the letters which she had sent to them. They called a fast, and they seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two men, {scoundrels}, came, sat opposite him, and the {scoundrels} witnessed against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king," so they brought him outside of the city and stoned him with stones, and he died. They sent to Jezebel saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and he is dead."

And seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan, [was] standing in the midst of them, [and] [they were] standing {before them}. Each [one] [had] his censer in his hand, and the fragrance of the cloud of the incense [was] going up. And he said to me, "Have you seen, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel [are] doing in the dark, each in the inner rooms of his idol, for [they are] saying, 'Yahweh [is] not seeing us; Yahweh has abandoned the land.'"

Then [when] Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted [what he had done] [and] returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned [by] betraying innocent blood!" But they said, "What [is that] to us? You see to [it]!"

Jezebel his wife said to him, "Now, you {rule} over Israel. Get up, eat food, and let your heart be {cheerful}. I myself will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who [were] dwelling with Naboth in his city. She had written in the letters, saying, "Call a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. read more.
Seat two men, {scoundrels}, opposite him. Let them witness against him saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then you shall bring him out and stone him so that he dies." The men of his city and the elders and nobles who were living in his city did according to what Jezebel had sent to them, as [was] written in the letters which she had sent to them. They called a fast, and they seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two men, {scoundrels}, came, sat opposite him, and the {scoundrels} witnessed against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king," so they brought him outside of the city and stoned him with stones, and he died. They sent to Jezebel saying, "Naboth has been stoned, and he is dead." It happened at the moment Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and died, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Get up, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he had refused to give to you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead." When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it.

Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, "Thus may God do to me and thus may he add, if Adonijah hasn't spoken this thing at the expense of his life. So then, {as Yahweh lives}, who has established me and seated me on the throne of my father David and who has established for me a dynasty as he promised, then surely Adonijah will be put to death today." King Solomon sent through the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, so he struck him, and he died.

When the message came to Joab (now Joab {had supported} Adonijah but {had not supported} Absalom), he fled to the tent of Yahweh and grasped the horns of the altar. It was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was beside the altar. So Solomon sent [word] to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go and fall upon him." So Benaiah went to the tent of Yahweh, and he said to him, "Thus says the king: 'Come out.'" And he said, "No, for I want to die here." So Benaiah returned a word to the king, saying, "Thus Joab spoke, and thus he answered me." read more.
Then the king said to him, "Do as he spoke; fall upon him and bury him, and so you shall remove the innocent blood that Joab shed from on me and from on the house of my father. Yahweh will return his blood on his head, because he fell upon two men, more righteous and better than he, and he killed them with the sword, even though my father did not know it; [namely] Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. And their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David and his descendants and for his house and his throne, [there] will be peace forever from Yahweh." So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, and he fell on him and killed him, and he was buried in his house in the wilderness.

Then the king sent and summoned Shimei, and he said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but you must not go out {anywhere whatsoever} from there. It shall happen that on the day you go out and cross over the Wadi Kidron, know for certain that {you will surely die}. Your blood will be on your head." Shimei said to the king, "The word is good that my lord the king has spoken to me; thus will your servant do." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. read more.
It happened that at the end of three years, two of Shimei's slaves fled to Achish, son of Maacah, the king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, "Your slaves [are] here in Gath." So Shimei got up and saddled his donkey, and he went to Gath, to Achish, to search for his slaves. So Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, the king sent and summoned Shimei, and he said to him, "Did I not make you swear by Yahweh? I warned you, saying, 'On the day you go out and you go {anywhere whatsoever}, know for certain that {you will surely die}.' And you said to me, 'The word is good; I accept.' Why have you not kept the oath of Yahweh and the command which I commanded you?" Then the king said to Shimei, "You know all the evil which your heart knows, what you did to David my father. Now Yahweh will return the evil on your head, but King Solomon will be blessed and the throne of David will be established before Yahweh forever." Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all of Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. It happened that Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard [of it] while he was still in Egypt where he had fled from the face of King Solomon, and Jeroboam had lived in Egypt. So they sent and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came. [Then] they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, read more.
"Your father made our yoke heavy; now lighten the hard labor of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you." He said, "Go up for three days and then return to me"; so the people went away. Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had been {serving} before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, "How [are] you advising [me] {to answer this people}?" They said to him, "If you will be a servant today to this people, then you will serve them; and if you answer them and speak good words to them, they will always be your servants." But he rejected the advice of the old men, which they gave him, and he consulted with the youngsters who had grown up with him, who were {serving} before him. He said to them, "What [are] you advising that we should reply to this people who spoke to me by saying, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us.'" Then the youngsters who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you: 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten [it] for us,' you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. So then, my father loaded a heavy yoke on all of you, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions!'" Jeroboam and all of the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken: "Return to me on the third day." Then the king answered all the people harshly, [as] he had rejected the advice of the old men that they had offered. He spoke to them according to the advice of the youngsters, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add onto your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from Yahweh in order to fulfill his word which Yahweh had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. When all of Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "{What share do we have in David}? [There is] no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now look to your house, David!" Then Israel went to their tents.

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day {on}. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For [God does] not [see] what man sees, for a man {looks on the outward appearance}, but Yahweh {looks on the heart}."

Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "{How long} will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel! Fill up your horn [with] oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons."

Formerly you spoke in a vision to your faithful ones, and said, "I have bestowed help on a mighty man; I have exalted one chosen from [the] people. I have found David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him, with whom my hand will be steadfast. Surely my arm will strengthen him. read more.
[The] enemy will not deceive him, and no {evil man} will afflict him. But I will crush his adversaries before him, and I will strike those who hate him. And [so] my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him, and in my name his horn will rise up. And I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He will call out [to] me, 'You [are] my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.' I will also make him [the] firstborn, [the] highest of [the] kings of [the] earth. Forever I will keep my loyal love for him, and my covenant [will be] reliable for him. I will also establish his offspring forever, and his throne as [the] days of [the] heavens. If his sons forsake my law and do not walk in my judgments, if they defile my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with rod, and their guilt with wounds. But I will not break off my loyal love from him, and I will not be false against my faithfulness. I will not defile my covenant, or alter what proceeded from my lips. Once I have sworn by my holiness, 'I will surely not lie to David, His offspring will endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. Like [the] moon it will be steadfast forever, and [like] an enduring witness in the sky.'" Selah

He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son for me, whom I will punish when he does wrong, with a rod of men and with blows of the {human beings}. But my loyal love shall not depart from him as I took [it] from Saul, whom I removed from before you. read more.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever." '"

So Joseph went up to bury his father. And all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, went up with him,

And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh was changed and [that of] his servants toward the people, and they said, "What [is] this we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us!"

And the plan was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this in whom is the spirit of God?"

And Yahweh said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart {insensitive} and the heart of his servants in order to put these signs of mine in his midst,

And the servants of Pharaoh said to him, "Until when will this be a snare for us? Release the men so that they may serve Yahweh their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?"

And it happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Cush--[over] one hundred and twenty-seven provinces.

And it happened [that] in the days of Amraphel, the king of Shinar, Arioch, the king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer, the king of Elam, and Tidal, the king of Goiim,

Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire.

Nebuchadnezzar the king to all of the nations, the peoples and languages that live in the whole earth: "May your prosperity increase!

{It pleased Darius}, and he set up one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, that they were {throughout the whole kingdom}, and over them [were] three administrators, [of] whom Daniel [was] one, [so] that these satraps were giving account to them, and the king would not be suffering loss. Then Daniel {began distinguishing himself} above the administrators and the satraps {because} an exceptional spirit [was] in him, and [so] the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom.

And Yahweh made Solomon exceedingly great in the sight of all Israel, and he bestowed upon him royal splendor that was not [bestowed] upon any king before him in Israel.

Because the kingship belongs to Yahweh, and [he] rules over the nations.

Yahweh will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will even now cut off the house of Jeroboam this day.

The word of Yahweh came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, "Because I exalted you from the dust and I made you a leader over my people Israel, but you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and you caused my people Israel to sin, to provoke me with their sins, I am now [about to] consume Baasha and his house. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. read more.
Those who die for Baasha in the city, the dogs will eat; those who die for him in the field, the birds of the heavens will eat."

But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel. And from all my sons--for Yahweh has given many sons to me--he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel.

And Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you will say to the house of Jacob and you will tell the {Israelites}, 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and [how] I bore you on eagles' wings and I brought you to me. And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, {for all the earth is mine}, read more.
but you, you will [belong] to me [as] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you will speak to the {Israelites}." And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. And all the people together answered and said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do." And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.

"This day Yahweh your God is commanding you to do these rules and regulations, {and you must observe them diligently} with all your heart and with all your soul. Yahweh you [have] declared {today} to be for you as [your] God, and to go in his ways and to observe his rules and his commandments and his regulations and to listen to his voice. And Yahweh [has] declared you {today} to be for him as a people, a treasured possession, as he {promised} to you, and [that you are] to observe all his commandments, read more.
{and that he then will set you} high above all the nations that he has made for his praise and {for fame} and for honor and {for you to be a holy people} to Yahweh your God, as he {promised}."

These [are] the words of the covenant that Yahweh commanded Moses to make with the {Israelites} in the land of Moab {besides} the covenant that he made with them at Horeb. And Moses summoned all of Israel and said to them, "You saw all that Yahweh did before your eyes in the land of Egypt and to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land; [that is], the great trials that your eyes saw, [and] those great signs and wonders. read more.
But Yahweh has not given to you a heart to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear, [even] {to this day}. And I have led you forty years in the desert; your clothes [have] not worn out {on you}, and your sandal has not worn out {on your foot}. You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine and strong drink, so that you may know that I [am] Yahweh your God. And [when] you came to this place [then] Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out to meet you for battle, and we defeated them. And we took their land and gave it as [an] inheritance to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to [the] half-tribe of Manasseh. And {you must diligently observe the words of this covenant}, so that you may succeed in all that you do. "You [are] standing {today}, all of you, {before} Yahweh your God, your leaders, your tribes, your elders, and your officials, all the men of Israel, your little children, your women and your aliens who [are] in the midst of your camp, from the choppers of your wood to the drawers of your water, {in order for you to enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God}, and into his oath that Yahweh your God [is] {making with you} {today}, in order to establish you {today} {to himself} as a people and [so that] he may be for you [as] God, [just] as he {promised} to you and {just as} he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

But the matter {was displeasing to Samuel} when they said, "Give us a king to judge us," so Samuel prayed to Yahweh. Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

But the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, [and intended] to come to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram to Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

Yet all of the kingdom I will not tear [away]. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all of Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. It happened that Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard [of it] while he was still in Egypt where he had fled from the face of King Solomon, and Jeroboam had lived in Egypt. So they sent and summoned him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came. [Then] they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, read more.
"Your father made our yoke heavy; now lighten the hard labor of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you." He said, "Go up for three days and then return to me"; so the people went away. Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had been {serving} before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, "How [are] you advising [me] {to answer this people}?" They said to him, "If you will be a servant today to this people, then you will serve them; and if you answer them and speak good words to them, they will always be your servants." But he rejected the advice of the old men, which they gave him, and he consulted with the youngsters who had grown up with him, who were {serving} before him. He said to them, "What [are] you advising that we should reply to this people who spoke to me by saying, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us.'" Then the youngsters who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you: 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten [it] for us,' you shall say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins. So then, my father loaded a heavy yoke on all of you, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions!'" Jeroboam and all of the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken: "Return to me on the third day." Then the king answered all the people harshly, [as] he had rejected the advice of the old men that they had offered. He spoke to them according to the advice of the youngsters, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add onto your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from Yahweh in order to fulfill his word which Yahweh had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. When all of Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, "{What share do we have in David}? [There is] no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now look to your house, David!" Then Israel went to their tents. The {Israelites} were living in the cities of Judah, and Rehoboam was reigning over them. King Rehoboam sent Adoram who [was] over the forced labor, and all of Israel cast stones at him and he died, but King Rehoboam managed to get up on the chariot to flee [to] Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David until this day. It happened that just when all of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all of Israel. Not one [followed] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone. When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all of the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand {choice troops} to fight with the house of Israel, to restore the kingship to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. Then the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, "Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon the king of Judah and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and the remainder of the people, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh: "You shall not go up and you shall not fight with your brothers the {Israelites}. Return each of you to his house, for this thing was from me." '" So they heeded the word of Yahweh, and they returned to go home according to the word of Yahweh.

So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning [of events] from God, so that Yahweh might fulfill his word that he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

'Thus says Yahweh: "Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house, for this matter has come from me." '" So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

{And} the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. And the father-in-law of Moses saw all that he was doing for the people, and he said, "What [is] this thing that you [are] doing for the people? Why [are] you sitting alone and all the people [are] standing by you from morning until evening?" And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to seek God. read more.
When {they have an issue}, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make known God's rule and his instructions." And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good. Surely you will wear out, both you and this people who [are] with you, because the thing [is too] {difficult} for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now listen to my voice; I will advise you, and may God be with you. You be for the people before God, and you bring the issues to God. And you warn them [of] the rules and the instructions, and you make known to them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do. And you will select from all the people men of ability, fearers of God, trustworthy men, haters of [dishonest] gain, and you will appoint [such men] over them [as] commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. And let them judge the people all the time, {and} every major issue they will bring to you, and every minor issue they will judge themselves. And [so] lighten [it] for yourself, and they will bear [it] with you. If you will do this thing and God will command you, [then] you will be able to endure, and also each of the people will go to his home in peace." And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said. And Moses chose men of ability from all Israel, and he appointed them [as] heads over the people, [as] commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. And they judged the people all the time; the difficult issues they would bring to Moses, and every minor issue they would judge themselves.

And Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know [are] elders of the people and their officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there; I will take away from the spirit that [is] on you, and I will place [it] on them; and they will bear the burdens of the people with you; you will not bear it alone.

So Moses went out, and he spoke the words of Yahweh to the people, and he gathered [together] seventy men from the elders of the people, and he {made them stand} all around the tent. Then Yahweh went down in the cloud and spoke to him, and he took away the spirit that [was] on him, and he {put it} on the seventy elders. And as soon as the spirit was resting on them they prophesied, but they did not do it again.

"And I spoke to them at that time, {saying}, 'I am not able to bear you alone. Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and look; you [are] today as the stars of the heaven {in number}. Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, may he add to you as you are [now] a thousand times, and may he bless you just as he {promised you}. read more.
How can I bear you {by myself}, your burden and your load and your strife? Choose for yourselves {wise and discerning and knowledgeable men} for [each of] your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.' "And you answered me, and you said, 'The thing you have said to do is good.' And so I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and [then] I appointed them as leaders over you [as] commanders of [groups of] thousands and commanders of [groups of] hundreds and commanders of [groups of] fifties and commanders of [groups of] tens [as] officials for your tribes. And at that time I instructed your judges, saying, '{hear out your fellow men}, and [then] judge fairly between a man and between his brother and between {his opponent who is a resident alien}. You must not {be partial} {in your judgment}; hear [out] the small [person] as [also] the great [person]; {do not be intimidated by any person}, because the judgment [is] God's; and the case that is too difficult for you, bring [it] to me, and I will hear it [out].'

And then in the seventh year, in the fifth [month], on the tenth [day] of the month, men from the elders of Israel came to consult Yahweh, and they sat {before me}.

Solemnize a fast! Call an assembly! Gather [the] elders, all [of] the inhabitants of the land [in] the house of Yahweh your God, and cry out to Yahweh.

{And then} in the sixth year, in the sixth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, I [was] sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah [were] sitting {before me}. And the hand of the Lord Yahweh fell on me there,

And men from the elders of Israel came to me, and they sat {before me}.

"Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "[Are] you coming to consult me? {As I live}, I will surely not allow myself to be consulted by you!" ' {declares} the Lord Yahweh.

And I said, "Listen, O heads of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel! [Is it] not for you to know justice? [Those of you who are] haters of good and lovers of evil, [who] tear their skin from them and their flesh from their bones, and who eat the flesh of my people, and strip their skin from them, and break their bones, and chop [them] like meat in the pot, and like flesh in the midst of a cooking pot." read more.
Then they will cry to Yahweh, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time, when they have made their deeds evil.

Then Jezebel his wife came to him, and she said to him, "What is this, that your spirit is sullen and you are not eating food?" Then he said to her, "When I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and asked him, 'Give me your vineyard for money, or it you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in place of it,' he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'" Jezebel his wife said to him, "Now, you {rule} over Israel. Get up, eat food, and let your heart be {cheerful}. I myself will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." read more.
So she wrote letters in the name of Ahab and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who [were] dwelling with Naboth in his city. She had written in the letters, saying, "Call a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. Seat two men, {scoundrels}, opposite him. Let them witness against him saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then you shall bring him out and stone him so that he dies." The men of his city and the elders and nobles who were living in his city did according to what Jezebel had sent to them, as [was] written in the letters which she had sent to them. They called a fast, and they seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two men, {scoundrels}, came, sat opposite him, and the {scoundrels} witnessed against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king," so they brought him outside of the city and stoned him with stones, and he died.

Remove the wicked before a king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Hear this, O rulers of the house of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel, those detesting justice and perverting all that [is] right, he who builds Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wickedness. Its rulers judge for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money. But they lean on Yahweh, saying, "[Is] not Yahweh in our midst? Disaster will not come upon us."

" 'You will not curse God, and you will not curse a leader among your people.

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice; a winged messenger may repeat your words.

And he took the scroll of the covenant and read [it] in the hearing of the people, and they said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will listen."

And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. And all the people together answered and said, "All that Yahweh has spoken we will do." And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh.

And Moses came, and he told the people all the words of Yahweh and all the regulations. And all the people answered with one voice, and they said, "All the words that Yahweh has spoken we will do."

"You [are] standing {today}, all of you, {before} Yahweh your God, your leaders, your tribes, your elders, and your officials, all the men of Israel, your little children, your women and your aliens who [are] in the midst of your camp, from the choppers of your wood to the drawers of your water, {in order for you to enter into the covenant of Yahweh your God}, and into his oath that Yahweh your God [is] {making with you} {today}, read more.
in order to establish you {today} {to himself} as a people and [so that] he may be for you [as] God, [just] as he {promised} to you and {just as} he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. "Now I am not {making this covenant} and this oath {with you alone}. But with {whoever is standing here} with us {today} {before} Yahweh our God, and with {whoever is not standing here} with us {today}.

Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king as having supreme authority, or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for [there] is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God. So then, the one who resists authority resists the ordinance [which is] from God, and those who resist will receive condemnation on themselves. For rulers are not a [cause of] terror for a good deed, but for bad [conduct]. So do you want not to be afraid of authority? Do what [is] good, and you will have praise from it, read more.
for it is God's servant to you for what [is] good. But if you do what [is] bad, be afraid, because it does not bear the sword to no purpose. For it is God's servant, the one who avenges for punishment on the one who does [what is] bad. Therefore [it is] necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for [the authorities] are servants of God, busily engaged in this very [thing]. Pay to everyone [what is] owed: [pay] taxes to whom taxes [are due]; [pay] customs duties to whom customs duties [are due]; [pay] respect to whom respect [is due]; [pay] honor to whom honor [is due].

O God, give your judgments to [the] king, and your righteousness to [the] king's son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. Let [the] mountains yield prosperity for the people, and [the] hills in righteousness. read more.
May he provide justice [for the] poor of [the] people, save [the] children of [the] needy, and crush [the] oppressor. May he live long {while the sun endures} {as long as the moon} {for all generations}. May he descend like rain on mown grass, like showers watering [the] earth. May [what is] right blossom in his days and an abundance of peace, until [the] moon is no more. And may he rule from sea up to sea, and from [the] River to [the] edges of [the] land. Let [the] desert dwellers bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust. Let the kings of Tarshish and [the] islands bring tribute. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts, and let all kings bow down to him. Let all nations serve him. Indeed he will deliver [the] needy [who is] crying for help, and [the] afflicted [who] has no helper. He will take pity on [the] helpless and needy, and [the] lives of [the] needy he will save. From oppression and from violence he will redeem their lives, and their blood will be precious in his eyes. So may he live, and may gold from Sheba be given to him, and may prayers be offered for him continually. May blessings be invoked for him {all day long}. May there be an abundance of grain in the land [even] on [the] top of [the] mountains. May his crop sway like the [trees of] Lebanon, and may [those] from [the] city blossom like the grass of the earth. May his name endure forever. May his name increase {as long as the sun shines}, and let them be blessed in him. Let all nations call him blessed.

A wise king winnows the wicked, and he will drive a wheel over them.

Then David answered Recab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and he said to them, "{As Yahweh lives}, who redeemed my soul from all trouble, when the [one] who told me, "Look, Saul [is] dead," {thought that he [was] bringing good news}, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which [was] as my giving the news [back] to him. {How much more} when wicked men kill a righteous man in his house, on his bed! So then, shall I not seek his lifeblood from your hand, so that I may destroy you from the earth?" read more.
Then David commanded the young men, and they killed them, and they cut off their hands and their feet, and they hung [them] at the pool at Hebron, but the head of Ish-Bosheth they took and buried in the grave of Abner at Hebron.

Then David said to the young man who [was] reporting to him, "Where [are] you from?" And he said, "I [am] the son of an alien man. I [am] an Amalekite." David said to him, "How [is it that] you [were] not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy Yahweh's anointed one?" Then David called to one of the young men and said to him, "Come near; strike him." So he struck him down and he died. read more.
David said to him, "Your blood [is] on your head, for your mouth has testified against you by saying, 'I killed Yahweh's anointed one!'"

And it happened in the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, and he sent it by the hand of Uriah. He had written in the letter, "Put Uriah in the front, in the face of the fiercest fighting, then draw back from behind him so that he may be struck down and die." {When Joab was besieging} the city, he put Uriah toward the place which he knew {there were valiant warriors}. read more.
The men of the city came out and fought with Joab. Some from the army from the servants of David fell; Uriah the Hittite also died.

[Like] a roaring lion and a charging bear [is] a wicked ruler over a poor people.

Hear this, O rulers of the house of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel, those detesting justice and perverting all that [is] right, he who builds Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wickedness. Its rulers judge for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money. But they lean on Yahweh, saying, "[Is] not Yahweh in our midst? Disaster will not come upon us." read more.
Therefore on account of you Zion will be plowed [as] a field, and Jerusalem will be a heap of rubble, and {the temple mount} as a high place [in] a forest.

And it happened [that] David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.

The elders of his household stood over him to lift him up from the ground, but he [was] not willing, and he did not eat [any] food with them.

And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David {made a covenant} with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh; then they anointed David as king over Israel.

Then all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh. And they anointed David as king over Israel according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Samuel.

The word of Abner {came to} the elders of Israel, saying, "{For quite some time} you were seeking David as king over you. So then, bring it about, because Yahweh had said to David, "Through the hand of David my servant [I am about] to save my people Israel from the hand of [the] Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies." Abner also spoke {privately to Benjamin}. Abner also went {to speak to David} in Hebron, all that [was] good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin. read more.
Then Abner came to David in Hebron and with him [were] twenty men. David had prepared a feast for Abner and for the men who [were] with him. And Abner said to David, "Let me get up and go and gather all of Israel to my lord the king, that they may {make a covenant} with you so you can reign over all which your soul desires." So David dismissed Abner, and he left in peace.

So Pilate, [when he] saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water [and] washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to [it]!"

From this [point on] Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews shouted, saying, "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar! Everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!" So Pilate, [when he] heard these words, brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat, in the place called The Stone Pavement (but Gabbatha in Aramaic). (Now it was the day of preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.) And he said to the Jews, "Behold your king!" read more.
Then those shouted, "Away [with him]! Away [with him]! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests replied, "We do not have a king except Caesar!" So then he handed him over to them in order that he could be crucified.

And the king stood at his position. And he made the covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh and to keep his commands and statutes and regulations with all his heart and with all his soul, to do the words of the covenant that [were] written on this scroll.

So the king sent [word], and all of the elders of Judah and Jerusalem gathered to him.

Then they sent [word] to the king, and he gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!" As Samuel turned around to go, he caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Then Samuel said to him, "Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor {who is better than you}.

And [after] removing him, he raised up David for their king, about whom he also said, testifying, 'I have found David the [son] of Jesse [to be] a man in accordance with my heart, who will carry out all my will.'

and the commander of the court officials said to Daniel, "I [am] afraid [of] my lord, the king, who has determined your food and your drink, for {why should} he see your face having a worse appearance than the young men who {are your age}? Then you will endanger my head with the king."

The king answered and said to the {astrologers}, "The command from me is firm: if you [do] not make known to me the dream and its explanation, [then] you will be broken into pieces and your houses will be laid in ruins. But if you tell me the dream and its explanation, you will receive gifts and rewards and great honor from me. Therefore, tell me the dream and its explanation." They answered once more and said, "Let the king tell the dream to his servants and we will make the explanation known." read more.
The king answered and said, "{Certainly} I know that {you are trying to gain time} {because} you have seen {that this matter is firmly decreed by me}, for if you [do] not make the dream known to me, {your verdict is fixed}, and you have conspired to say lying and deceitful word to me until the {circumstances} will change. Therefore, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can tell me its explanation." The {astrologers} answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth that is able to reveal the word of the king; {in fact}, no great and powerful king has [ever] asked a thing like this of any magician or conjurer or {astrologer}. And the thing that the king is asking [is too] difficult and {there is no one who} can reveal it to the king except [the] gods {whose dwelling is not with mortals}." Because of this the king became angry, and he became very much enraged, and he said [that] all the wise men of Babylon [are] to be destroyed. And the decree was issued, and the wise men {were on the verge of being executed}, and they searched for Daniel and his companions to be executed.

And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled.

Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: "Because I raised you from the midst of the people and I made you leader over my people Israel, I tore the kingdom from the house of David and I gave it to you. But you were not like my servant David who kept my commandments, and who went after me with all his heart, to do only [what is] right in my eyes. But you did more evil than all who were before you. You have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten idols to provoke me, but me you have {completely disregarded}. read more.
Therefore, look, I am about to bring disaster upon the house of Jeroboam, and I will cut off {males} from Jeroboam, bond or free, in Israel. I will burn after the house of Jeroboam as one burns after the manure, until it is finished. He who dies for Jeroboam in the city, the dogs will eat. He who dies in the open field, the birds from the heavens will eat, for Yahweh has spoken [it]." ' As for you, get up. Go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. All of Israel will mourn for him, and they will bury him. This one alone will come to a tomb for Jeroboam, because a good thing has been found in him by Yahweh the God of Israel in the house of Israel. Yahweh will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will even now cut off the house of Jeroboam this day. Yahweh will strike Israel as one shakes the reed plant in the water, and he will root Israel up from this good land that he gave to their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the River because they have made their sacred poles [which are] provoking Yahweh. He will give up Israel because of the sin of Jeroboam which he sinned and which he caused Israel to sin."

Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. Now Nadab and all of Israel [were] laying siege to Gibbethon, and Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa the king of Judah, and he reigned in his place. It happened that as soon as he became king, he killed all of the house of Jeroboam. There was no one left of Jeroboam who breathed, until he had destroyed him according to the word of Yahweh that he had spoken by the hand of his servant, Ahijah the Shilonite, read more.
because of the sins of Jeroboam that he had committed and that he had caused Israel to commit [and] because of his anger [with] which he had provoked Yahweh the God of Israel.

"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat {a meal}."

Hypocrites! Isaiah correctly prophesied about you saying, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.'"

And the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to him. And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their bread with unclean--that is, unwashed--hands. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands {ritually}, [thus] holding fast to the traditions of the elders.

At that time, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the {families} of the {Israelites} before King Solomon, in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, that is, Zion. All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the festival in the month of Ethnaim, that is, the seventh month. All the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark.

Then Solomon assembled all the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the {families} for the {Israelites}, to Jerusalem in order to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which [is] Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that [is in] the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.

"When you have come to that land that Yahweh your God [is] giving to you and you have taken possession of it and you have settled in it, and you say, 'I will set over me a king like all the nations that [are] around me,' indeed, you may set a king over you whom Yahweh your God will choose, from the midst of your countrymen you must set a king over you; you are not allowed to appoint over you a man, a foreigner, who [is] not your countryman. Except, he may {not make numerous} for himself horses, and he may not allow the people to [to go] to Egypt {in order to increase horses}, for Yahweh has said to you that {you may never return}. read more.
And he must not {acquire many} wives for himself, so that his heart [would] turn aside; and {he must not accumulate silver and gold for himself excessively}. "{And then} {when he is sitting} on the throne of his kingdom, then he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll {before} the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere Yahweh your God by {diligently observing} all the word of this law and these rules, [so as] not to exalt his heart above his countrymen and not to turn aside from the commandment to the right or to the left, so that {he may reign long over his kingdom}, he and his children in the midst of Israel."

Choose for yourselves {wise and discerning and knowledgeable men} for [each of] your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.' "And you answered me, and you said, 'The thing you have said to do is good.' And so I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and [then] I appointed them as leaders over you [as] commanders of [groups of] thousands and commanders of [groups of] hundreds and commanders of [groups of] fifties and commanders of [groups of] tens [as] officials for your tribes.

So our elders said to us and all the inhabitants of our land, 'Take in your hand provisions for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, "We [are] your servants; so then {make a covenant with us}." '

A poor but wise youth [is] better than an old but foolish king who no longer knows {how to receive advice}. For he came out of the prison house to reign, {since he was born poor in his kingdom}.

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth and your princes feast in the morning.

Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility and your princes feast at the proper time-- to gain strength and not to get drunk.

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it over his head and kissed him and said, "{Has not} Yahweh anointed you as leader over his inheritance?

Now Yahweh {had revealed this to} Samuel the day before Saul arrived, saying, "This time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you must anoint him as leader over my people Israel. He will deliver my people from the hand of [the] Philistines. For I have seen [the suffering of] my people, because their cry [of distress] has come to me." When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh answered him, "Here [is] the man about whom I told you! This [is the] one [who] will govern my people."

When the righteous are numerous, the people will rejoice, but when the wicked are ruling, people will groan.

The words of the wise are heard in peace [more] than the shouting of a ruler [is heard] among the fools.

Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king; with those who change, do not associate. For suddenly their disaster will come, and the ruin of {both of them}, who knows?

After finishing these things the officials approached me saying, "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated from the people of the lands with their detestable things, and from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

Anyone who did not come within three days, by decision of the officials and elders, all of his possessions would be devoted to God, and he himself would be excluded from the assembly of exiles. Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat in the public square of the house of God trembling because of this matter and from the rains. Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have broke faith and married foreign women, increasing the guilt of Israel. read more.
Now make a confession to Yahweh the God of your ancestors and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women." Then all the assembly answered with a great voice and said, "It is so. We must do according to your words. But the people are many, and it is the time of rain; we are unable to stand outside. The task is not for one day or two, for we greatly rebelled in this matter. Please let our leaders stand for the whole assembly, and let all that are in our cities who have married foreign women come at set times, and with them the elders of and judges of each city, until the fierce wrath of our God because of this matter is averted from us."

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "Look, you are old and your sons do not follow in your ways. So then appoint a king for us to judge us, like all the nations. But the matter {was displeasing to Samuel} when they said, "Give us a king to judge us," so Samuel prayed to Yahweh. read more.
Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Like all the deeds they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt until this day, they have forsaken me and have served other gods--so they [are] doing to you also. And so then, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly warn them; you must explain to them the custom of the king who will rule over them." So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who [were] requesting a king from him.

However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, "No, but there must be a king over us, so that we {also} may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles." Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. read more.
Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them." So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, "Each of you go to his [own] town."

The wicked flee, but no one pursues, but the righteous is bold like a lion. By the rebellion of a land, her rulers increase, but by a person of intelligence who knows justice, it will last.

Now Saul heard that David and the men who [were] with him had been located. Saul [was] sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk [tree] at Ramah. Now his spear [was] in his hand and all his servants [were] stationed around him.

Saul said, "Listen please, son of Ahitub." He said, "Here I [am], my lord." Then Saul said to him, "Why did you conspire against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave to him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him so that he might arise against me to ambush [me] as [has been done] this day?" But Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants [is] as faithful as David? He [is] the son-in-law of the king who moves [quickly] to safeguard you and is honored in your house. read more.
[Only] today I began to inquire of God for him. Far be it from me that {the king should impute anything against his servant} or against my father's household, for your servant has not known any of this matter, little or much." Then the king said, "You must certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household!" So the king said to the runners [who were] stationed around him, "Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because {they also support David} and because they knew that he was fleeing and {did not disclose it to me}." But the servants of the king [were] not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh. Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and attack the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests himself, and on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore [the] linen ephod. And {he put to the sword} Nob, the city of the priests, from man to woman, from child to infant, and ox and donkey and sheep; [all] {to the sword}.

The cities will be to you a refuge from a redeemer, so that the killer will not die until he stands before the community for judgment.

then the community will judge between the striker and between the blood avenger according to these ordinances. The community will deliver the killer from the hand of the blood avenger, and the community will restore him to the city of his refuge to which he fled; and he will live there in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with holy oil.

A king who judges with truthfulness [to] the poor, his throne will be established forever.

A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, [but] those who hate unjust gain will have long days.

The hand of the diligent ones will rule, but the lazy will belong to forced labor.

A ruler listening to a word of falsehood, all his officials are wicked.

Then the king answered all the people harshly, [as] he had rejected the advice of the old men that they had offered.

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had been {serving} before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, "How [are] you advising [me] {to answer this people}?" They said to him, "If you will be a servant today to this people, then you will serve them; and if you answer them and speak good words to them, they will always be your servants." But he rejected the advice of the old men, which they gave him, and he consulted with the youngsters who had grown up with him, who were {serving} before him.

When the righteous are numerous, the people will rejoice, but when the wicked are ruling, people will groan.

Then Saul said, "So may God do [to me] and {more}, you will certainly die today, Jonathan!" But the army said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die, who accomplished this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not a hair from his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the army ransomed Jonathan and he did not die.

Then Yahweh raised an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, from the descendants of that king in Edom.

God had [also] raised Rezon the son of Eliada as an adversary against him, who had fled from Hadadezer the king of Zobah, his master.

When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the house of the king [to] the temple of Yahweh, and they sat in the entrance of the New Gate of Yahweh's [temple]. Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, {saying}, "{This man deserves the death sentence}, because he has prophesied against this city as that [which] you have heard with your ears." Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, {saying}, "Yahweh sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. read more.
Now {therefore} amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent of the disaster that he has spoken over you. But [as for] me, look, I [am] in your hand, do to me what [is] good and right in your eyes. Only you must certainly know that if you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves innocent blood, and on this city and on its inhabitants, for {truly} Yahweh sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears." Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, "{This man does not deserve} a sentence of death, for in the name of Yahweh our God, he has spoken to us." Then men from the elders of the land arose and said to all the assembly of the people, {saying}, "Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, {saying}: 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "Zion will be plowed, and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the {temple} as high places of wood." ' [Did] Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and all Judah actually put him to death? [Was he] not in fear of Yahweh? And he entreated the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh relented of the disaster that he had spoken against them. But we [are] about to do great disaster to ourselves." Indeed, there also was a man prophesying in the name of Yahweh, Uriah, the son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land like all the words of Jeremiah. And when King Jehoiakim, and all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard, and he was afraid, and he fled and went [to] Egypt. Then King Jehoiakim sent men [to] Egypt. Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and men with him [went] to Egypt. And they brought out Uriah from Egypt and they brought him to King Jehoiakim, and he struck him down with the sword, and he threw his dead body into the burial sites of the sons of the people. However, the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hand of the people to put him to death.

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the {land} of the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wickedness.

Honor all [people], love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Yahweh was angry with Solomon, for he had turned his heart from Yahweh, the God of Israel who had appeared to him twice. And he had commanded him concerning this matter not to go after other gods, but he did not keep that which Yahweh commanded. So Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because this was with you, and you did not keep my covenant and my ordinances which I have commanded you, I will certainly tear the kingdom from you, and I will give it to your servant. read more.
However, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of David your father; from the hand of your son I will tear it [away]. Yet all of the kingdom I will not tear [away]. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh [are] one. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows, they are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain, they [are] seven years. The dreams [are] one. And the seven thin and ugly cows coming up after them, they [are] seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, they are [also] seven years of famine. read more.
This [is] the word that I have spoken to Pharaoh; God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. Then seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will consume the land. Abundance in the land will not be known because of the famine {that follows}, for it will be very heavy. Now concerning the repetition of the dream twice to Pharaoh, [it is] because the matter [is] established by God, and God will do [it] quickly. Now then, let Pharaoh select a man [who is] discerning and wise, and let him set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do [this], and let him appoint supervisors over the land, and let him take one-fifth from the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. Then let them gather all the food of these coming good years and let them pile up grain under the hand of Pharaoh [for] food in the cities, and let them keep [it]. Then the food shall be as a deposit for the land for the seven years of the famine that will be in the land of Egypt, that the land will not perish on account of the famine." And the plan was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this in whom is the spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all of this known to you there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and to your word all my people shall submit. Only [with respect to] the throne will I be greater than you." Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and put it on the finger of Joseph. And he clothed him with garments of fine linen, and he put a chain of gold around his neck. And he had him ride in his second chariot. And they cried out before him, "Kneel!" And Pharaoh set him over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I [am] Pharaoh, but without your consent no one will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt." And Pharaoh called the name of Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Now Joseph {was thirty years old} when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and traveled through the whole land of Egypt. And the land produced a plenty in the seven years of abundance. And he gathered all the food of the seven years which [occurred] in the land of Egypt. And he stored the food in the cities. The food of the field that surrounded [each] city he stored in its midst. And Joseph piled up grain like the sand of the sea in great abundance until he stopped counting [it], for {it could not be counted}. Before the years of famine came, Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore two sons to him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, for [he said], "God has caused me to forget all my hardship and all my father's house." And the name of the second he called Ephraim, for [he said], "God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune." And the seven years of abundance which [were] in the land of Egypt came to an end. And the seven years of famine began to come as Joseph had said. And there was famine in all of the countries, but in the land of Egypt there was food. And when all the land of Egypt was hungry the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. And Pharaoh said to all the land of Egypt, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, you must do." And the famine was over the whole land, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold [food] to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. And every land came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land.

And immediately the king sent an executioner [and] ordered [him] to bring his head. And he went [and] beheaded him in the prison. And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

Then all the community {lifted up their voices}, and the people wept during that night. And all the {Israelites} grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and all the community said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt or in this desert! Why did Yahweh bring us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little children will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return [to] Egypt?" read more.
{They said to each other}, "Let us appoint a leader, and we will return [to] Egypt." Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces {before} the assembly of the community of the {Israelites}. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the explorers [of] the land, tore their garments. And they said to all the community of the {Israelites}, "The land that we went through to explore [is] an {exceptionally good land}. If Yahweh delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and he will give it to us, a land that [is] flowing [with] milk and honey. Only do not rebel against Yahweh, and you will not fear the people of the land, because they will be our food. {Their protection} has been turned from them; Yahweh [is] with us. You should not fear them." And all the community said to stone them with stones, but the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of assembly among the {Israelites}.

Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, "Please know and realize that this [man is] seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my women, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I did not withhold [anything] from him." All of the elders and all of the people said to him, "Do not listen and do not consent."

In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh [was] with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

Then he said, "I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me {so that I can worship} Yahweh your God."

Yahweh appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him in Gibeon. Yahweh said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your plea which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, with {integrity of heart} and with uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, [and if] you keep my ordinances and my judgments, read more.
then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'A man will not be cut off for you from upon the throne of Israel.' "If ever you or any of your descendants turn from [following] me and do not keep my commandments [and] my ordinances that I have set before you and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then I will cut Israel off from the face of the land that I have given to them, [even] the house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast away from my face; and Israel shall become a proverb and an object of taunting among all the peoples. This house shall become a heap of ruins; all those passing by will be appalled by it and hiss, and they will say, 'On what account did Yahweh do this to this land and to this house?' And they will say, 'Because they have forsaken Yahweh their God who brought their ancestors out from the land of Egypt and they embraced other gods and bowed down to them and served them. Therefore, Yahweh brought on them all of this disaster.'"

And Yahweh made Solomon exceedingly great in the sight of all Israel, and he bestowed upon him royal splendor that was not [bestowed] upon any king before him in Israel.

Then King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, "Speak to the elders of Judah: 'Why [are] you last to bring back the king to his house? The talk of all Israel has come to the king in his house.

And Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now the crowd will lick up all around us, like a bull devours the grass of the field." And Balak son of Zippor [was] king of Moab at that time.

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went [with] a fee for divination in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him.

And the king {ordered} Ashpenaz, the commander of his court officials, to bring {some of the Israelites} from {the royal family} and from the lords, youths who {have no physical defect}, and [who are] {handsome}, and [who are] prudent in all wisdom and {endowed with knowledge}, and [who] understand insight, and who [have] the {ability} in them to serve in the palace of the king. [And the king ordered him] to teach them the literature and the language of [the] Chaldeans. And the king assigned to them {his daily portion} from the fine food of the king, and from {the wine that he drank}, and [instructed that] {they were to be educated for three years}. And at the end [of] their [training], {they were to be stationed} {before} the king. read more.
Now there was among them {from the Judeans}, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. And the commander of the court officials gave them names, and he called Daniel, Belteshazzar; and Hananiah, Shadrach; and Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, Abednego. Now {Daniel resolved} that he would not defile himself with the fine food of the king, and with {the wine that he drank}, and [so] he requested from the commander of the court officials [permission so] that he would not defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion {before} the commander of the court officials, and the commander of the court officials said to Daniel, "I [am] afraid [of] my lord, the king, who has determined your food and your drink, for {why should} he see your face having a worse appearance than the young men who {are your age}? Then you will endanger my head with the king." Then Daniel asked the guard whom the commander of the court officials [had] appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants [for] ten days, and let them give us {some of the vegetables}, and let us eat and let us drink water. Then let our appearances and the appearance of the young men who are eating the fine food of the king be compared {before you}, and [then] deal with your servants {according to what you see}." So he agreed to this proposal with them, and he tested them [for] ten days. And at the end of ten days their appearances appeared better and [they were] healthier of body than all the young men who were eating the fine food of the king. {So} the guard {continued to withhold} their fine food and the wine of their drink, and he gave them vegetables. {And as for these four young men}, God gave to them knowledge and insight into all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had insight into all visions and dreams. And at the end of the time the king had set to bring them, the commander of the court officials brought them in {before} Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, {and among all of them no one was found like} Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; then they stood {before} the king. And in every matter of wisdom [and] understanding [about] which the king inquired from them, he found them ten times better [than] all [of] the magicians [and] conjurers that {were in his entire kingdom}.

At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason also he sent for him as often as possible [and] talked with him.

The word [was] right in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

So our elders said to us and all the inhabitants of our land, 'Take in your hand provisions for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, "We [are] your servants; so then {make a covenant with us}." '

I have called to my lovers, they themselves deceived me; my priests and elders perished in the city when they sought food for themselves to revive their life.

Look, the eyes of my Lord Yahweh [are] on the kingdom of sin, and I will destroy it from the surface of the earth. However, I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob," {declares} Yahweh.

And Moses chose men of ability from all Israel, and he appointed them [as] heads over the people, [as] commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens.

"And I spoke to them at that time, {saying}, 'I am not able to bear you alone. Yahweh your God has multiplied you, and look; you [are] today as the stars of the heaven {in number}. Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, may he add to you as you are [now] a thousand times, and may he bless you just as he {promised you}. read more.
How can I bear you {by myself}, your burden and your load and your strife? Choose for yourselves {wise and discerning and knowledgeable men} for [each of] your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.' "And you answered me, and you said, 'The thing you have said to do is good.' And so I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and [then] I appointed them as leaders over you [as] commanders of [groups of] thousands and commanders of [groups of] hundreds and commanders of [groups of] fifties and commanders of [groups of] tens [as] officials for your tribes. And at that time I instructed your judges, saying, '{hear out your fellow men}, and [then] judge fairly between a man and between his brother and between {his opponent who is a resident alien}. You must not {be partial} {in your judgment}; hear [out] the small [person] as [also] the great [person]; {do not be intimidated by any person}, because the judgment [is] God's; and the case that is too difficult for you, bring [it] to me, and I will hear it [out].'