59 Bible Verses about Leaders, Political

And, though Yahweh raised up judges, - who saved them out of the hand of them that plundered them,

And, Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth, she, was judging Israel, at that time:

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons judges to Israel; and the name of his firstborn son was, Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah, - they were judges in Beer-sheba. Howbeit his sons walked not in his ways, but stooped to extortion, - and took bribes, and perverted judgment.read more.
So then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, - and came unto Samuel, to Ramah; and said unto him - Lo! thou, art old, and, thy sons, walk not in thy ways: Now, appoint for us a king to judge us, like all the nations. But the thing was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give unto us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed unto Yahweh. And Yahweh said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people, in all that they shall say unto thee, - for, not thee, have they rejected, but, me, have they rejected, from being king over them. According to all the doings which they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even until this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so, are they doing even unto thee. Now, therefore, hearken to their voice, - save that thou, enter protest, against them, and tell them the manner of the king who will reign over them. So then Samuel spake all the words of Yahweh unto the people, who were asking of him, a king. And he said, This, will be the manner of the king who will reign over you, - Your sons, will he take and appoint for himself, as his charioteers and as his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself, princes of thousands, and princes of fifties, - and to plough his fields, and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war, and the instruments of his chariots; And, your daughters, will he take, - as perfumers and as cooks, and as bakers; And, your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, the best of them, will he take, and give to his servants; And, your seed, and your vineyards, will he tithe, and give to his courtiers and to his servants; And, your men-servants, and your maidservants, and your oxen, even the goodliest, and your asses, will he take, - and put them to his work; Your flocks, will he tithe, - and, ye yourselves, shall become his servants. Then will ye make outcry, in that day, because of your king whom ye have chosen for yourselves, - and Yahweh will not answer you, in that day. But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel, - and they said - Nay! but, a king, shall be over us: so shall, even we, become like all the nations, - and our king shall judge us, and go forth before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, - and spake them in the ears of Yahweh.

Then took Samuel a flask of oil, and poured out upon his head, and kissed him, - and said - Is it not, that Yahweh hath anointed thee over his inheritance, as leader?

And Yahweh said unto Samuel - How long, art thou going to pine for Saul, seeing that, I, have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and come! let me send thee unto Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me, among his sons, a king. And Samuel said, How can I go? As soon as Saul heareth, he will slay me. Then said Yahweh, A heifer, take thou with thee, and say, To sacrifice unto Yahweh, am I come. Then shall thou bid Jesse to the sacrifice, - when, I, will let thee know what thou must do, so shalt thou anoint for me him whom I shall name unto thee.read more.
And Samuel did that which Yahweh had spoken, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him, and one said - Peaceably, comest thou? And he said - Peaceably: to sacrifice unto Yahweh, am I come. Hallow yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he hallowed Jesse and his sons, and bade them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they entered, that he looked upon Eliab, - and said to himself, Surely, before Yahweh, is his Anointed. But Yahweh said unto Samuel - Do not regard his countenance, or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him, - for it is not what man looketh to but what God looketh to. For, man, looketh to the outward appearance, but, Yahweh, looketh to the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel, - and he said, Neither of this one, hath Yahweh made choice. Then Jesse made Shammah pass by, - and he said - Nor of this one, hath Yahweh made choice. So Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, - and Samuel said unto Jesse, Yahweh hath not made choice of these. Then said Samuel unto Jesse - Are these all the young men? And he said - There yet remaineth, the youngest, but lo! he is tending the sheep. Then said Samuel unto Jesse - Do, send, and summon him, for we cannot sit round, until he cometh in hither. So he sent, and brought him in. Now, he, was ruddy, a stripling with handsome eyes, and noble mien. Then said Yahweh - Rise - anoint him, for, this, is, he. And Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon David, from that day forward. Then arose Samuel, and went his way unto Ramah.

And it shall be that, when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, then will I raise up thy seed after thee, which proceedeth from thine own body, - and I will establish his kingdom.

Then responded King David, and said, Call me Bath-sheba. So she came in before the king, and stood before the king. And the king sware, and said, - By the life of Yahweh, who hath redeemed my life out of every strait, even as I sware unto thee by Yahweh, God of Israel, saying, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne, in my stead, even so, will I do this day.read more.
Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the ground, and did homage unto the king, - and said - Let my lord, King David, live to times age-abiding! Then said King David - Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada. And they came in before the king. Then said the king unto them - Take ye with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon the mule which pertaineth unto myself, - and bring him down unto Gihon; then shall Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, - and ye shall blow with the horn, and say - Long live King Solomon! Then shall ye come up after him, and he shall enter, and sit upon my throne, yea, he, shall become king in my stead; even, him, have I charged to become leader, over Israel, and over Judah. Then did Benaiah son of Jehoiada make response unto the king, and say - Amen! so, say Yahweh, God of my lord the king. As Yahweh hath been with my lord the king, so, let him he with Solomon, - and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, King David. So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon the mule of King David, - and they escorted him to Gihon. Then took Zadok the priest, the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon, - and they blew with a ram's horn, and all the people said, Long live King Solomon! And all the people came up after him, the people themselves also, playing with flutes, and rejoicing with great joy, - so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

Then came Moses, and called for the elders of the people, - and put before them all these words which Yahweh had commanded him.

When there shall be found one slain on the soil which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee to possess, lying prostrate in the field, - it not being known who smote him, then shall thine elders and thy judges go forth, - and measure unto the cities that are round about the slain;

Now, Boaz, went up to the gate, and sat him down there, and lo! the kinsman, passing by, of whom Boaz had spoken, so he said - Turn aside! and sit down here, such a one! And he turned aside, and sat down. Then fetched he ten men of the elders of the city, and said - Sit ye down here. And they sat down.

When I went out to the gate unto the city, in the open place, made ready my seat, Young men saw me, and hid themselves, and, the aged, arose - they stood; Rulers, restrained speech, and, a hand, laid they on their mouth;read more.
The voice of nobles, was hushed, and their tongue to their palate, did cleave; When, the ear, heard, then it pronounced me happy, When, the eye, saw, then it bare me witness; Because I used to deliver the oppressed who was crying out for aid, the fatherless also, and him that had no helper;

Now, in the fifteenth year of the supremacy of Tiberius Caesar, - Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and, Philip his brother, tetrarch of Ituraea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanius, tetrarch of Abylene, -

And Samuel judged Israel, all the days of his life.

And Yahweh said unto Moses - Hew thee two tables of stone, like the first, - and I will write upon the tables the words which were upon the first tables which thou didst break in pieces;

He, removed the high places, and brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Sacred Stem, - and beat in pieces the serpent of bronze that, Moses, had made, because, until those days, had the sons of Israel been burning incense thereunto, so he called it Nehushtan.

Now, when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went forth unto the cities of Judah, and brake in pieces the pillars - and cut down the Sacred Stems - and threw down the high places and the altars, out of all Judah and Benjamin - and throughout Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had made an end, - then all the sons of Israel returned every man to his own possession, unto their own cities.

And, these, are they whom David caused to stand, as the servants of song, in the house of Yahweh, when he had given rest unto the ark;

and said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten places, - for Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel - Behold me! about to rend the kingdom, out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give unto thee ten tribes:

Now, therefore, come thou! that I may send thee unto Pharaoh, - and bring thou forth my people - the sons of Israel - out of Egypt.

And Yahweh, turned unto him, and said - Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel, out of the hand of Midian, - have I not sent thee?

And Yahweh said unto Samuel - How long, art thou going to pine for Saul, seeing that, I, have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and come! let me send thee unto Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me, among his sons, a king.

But the thing was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give unto us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed unto Yahweh. And Yahweh said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people, in all that they shall say unto thee, - for, not thee, have they rejected, but, me, have they rejected, from being king over them. According to all the doings which they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even until this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so, are they doing even unto thee.

and said unto him - Lo! thou, art old, and, thy sons, walk not in thy ways: Now, appoint for us a king to judge us, like all the nations.

Because he Rescueth, The needy from the rich, The oppressed, who hath no helper; He Pitieth the weak and the needy, And, the lives of the needy, he Saveth: From extortion, and, violence, he Redeemeth their life, And precious is their flood in his sight.

May he judge, Thy people with righteousness; And thine oppressed ones with justice;

A king sitting on the throne of judgment, scattereth, with his eyes, all wrong.

A king, by justice, shall establish a land, - but, a man open to bribes, bringeth it to ruin.

Of the increase of dominion, and of prosperity, There shall be no end - Upon the throne of David and Upon his kingdom, By establishing it and By sustaining it, With justice and With righteousness, - From henceforth, Even unto times age-abiding: The jealousy of Yahweh of hosts, will perform this!

So will he find fragrance, in the reverence of Yahweh, And not, by the sight of his eyes, will he judge, Nor by the hearing of his ears, will he decide; But he will judge with righteousness! them who are poor, And decide with equity! for the oppressed of the land, - And he will smite the land With the sceptre of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips, will he slay the lawless one;

And made choice of David his servant, And took him from among the folds of the sheep: From after the sucking ewes, he brought him in, - To be shepherd to Jacob his people, And to Israel, his inheritance. So he did shepherd them, according to the singleness of his heart, And, with the discernment of his hands, used he to guide them.

Son of man, Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,- Prophesy, and thou shalt say unto them, even to the shepherds - Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh - Alas! for the shepherds of Israel who have been tending, themselves, Is it not the flock that the shepherds should tend? The milk, ye do eat And with the wool, ye do clothe your- selves, The well-fed, ye do sacrifice, The flock, ye do not tend The weak, have ye not strengthened And, the sick, have ye not healed. And the torn, have ye not hound up, And that which was driven out, have ye not brought back, And that which was straying, have ye not sought out; But with force, have ye ruled them and with rigour.read more.
And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; And they became food for every wild beast of the field. So were they scattered. My sheep did wander through all the mountains, And over every high hl,- And over all the face of the and, were my sheep scattered, And there was none to inquire And none to seek out.

But there shall come forth a shoot from the stock of Jesse, - And, a sprout from his roots, shall bear fruit; And the spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon him, - The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and reverence of Yahweh;

But it shall be when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, then shall he write for himself a copy of this law upon a scroll, out of that which is before the priests the Levites: so shall it be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life, - that he may learn to revere Yahweh his God, to observe all the words of this law and these statutes to do them: that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren, and he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, - that he may prolong his days over his kingdom - he and his sons, in the midst of Israel.

So will he find fragrance, in the reverence of Yahweh, And not, by the sight of his eyes, will he judge, Nor by the hearing of his ears, will he decide;

And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, - And faithfulness the girdle of his reins;

By me, kings reign, and dignitaries decree righteousness; By me, rulers govern, and nobles - all the righteous judges:

But, Jesus, calling them near, said - Ye know that, the rulers of the nations, lord it over them, and, the great ones, wield authority over them:

Moreover he shall not multiply to himself horses, neither shall he cause the people to return to Egypt that he may multiply horses, - when, Yahweh, hath said unto you, Ye shall not again return this way any more. Neither shall he multiply to himself wives, that his heart turn not aside, - nor silver and gold, shall he multiply to himself greatly.

And he said, This, will be the manner of the king who will reign over you, - Your sons, will he take and appoint for himself, as his charioteers and as his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself, princes of thousands, and princes of fifties, - and to plough his fields, and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war, and the instruments of his chariots; And, your daughters, will he take, - as perfumers and as cooks, and as bakers;read more.
And, your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, the best of them, will he take, and give to his servants; And, your seed, and your vineyards, will he tithe, and give to his courtiers and to his servants; And, your men-servants, and your maidservants, and your oxen, even the goodliest, and your asses, will he take, - and put them to his work; Your flocks, will he tithe, - and, ye yourselves, shall become his servants.

Thy father, made our yoke, grievous, - now, therefore do, thou, lighten the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, that we may serve thee.

Alas! for him who buildeth his house without righteousness, And his roof-chambers without justice, - Of his neighbour, taketh service for nought, And recompense for his work, giveth him not.

And he waited seven days, by the set time that Samuel had named, but Samuel came not to Gilgal, - and the people were scattered from him. Then said Saul, Bring near unto me, the ascending-sacrifice and the peace-offerings. And he offered up the ascending-sacrifice. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of offering up the ascending-sacrifice, lo! Samuel, had come, - and Saul went out to meet him, that he might bless him.read more.
Then said Samuel - What hast thou done? And Saul said - Because I saw that the people had been scattered from me, and, thou, hadst not come within the appointed days, and, the Philistines, had gathered themselves together to Michmash, therefore I said - Now, will the Philistines come down against me, at Gilgal, but, the face of Yahweh, have I not appeased: So I forced myself, and offered up the ascending-sacrifice. And Samuel said unto Saul - Thou hast shewn thyself foolish, - thou hast not kept the commandment of Yahweh thy God, which he commanded thee, for, now, would Yahweh have established thy kingdom unto Israel until times age-abiding;

But, when he became strong, uplifted was his heart, unto ruin, for he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God, - and entered into the temple of Yahweh, to burn incense upon the altar of incense. Then entered after him, Azariah the priest, - and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, sons of valour; and they took their stand against Uzziah the king, and said unto him-It is not, for thee, O Uzziah, to burn incense unto Yahweh, but, for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are hallowed, to burn incense. Go forth out of the sanctuary, for thou hast acted unfaithfully, and, not to thee, for an honour, shall it be from Yahweh Elohim.

Then, did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, - and for Molech, the abomination of the sons of Ammon; and, thus, did he for all his foreign wives, - who burned incense and offered sacrifices unto their gods.

Twelve years old, was Manasseh when he began to reign, and, fifty-five years, reigned he in Jerusalem, - and the name of his mother was Hephzibah. And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, - after the abominable practices of the nations, whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel. He again built the high places, which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, - and reared altars to Baal, and made a Sacred Stem, as did Ahab, king of Israel, and bowed down to all the army of the heavens, and served them.read more.
And he used to build altars in the house of Yahweh, - concerning which Yahweh had said, - In Jerusalem, will I put my Name. And he built altars to all the army of the heavens, - in the two courts of the house of Yahweh; and caused his son to pass through the fire, and practiced hidden arts and used divination, and dealt with a familiar spirit and wizards, - he exceeded in doing the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to anger;

Alas! for them who are going down to Egypt for help, On horses, would rely, - And have trusted - In chariots - because they are many, and In horsemen, because they are very bold, But have not looked unto the Holy One of Israel, And onto Yahweh, have not sought.

At that time, Berodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present, unto Hezekiah, - for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

Alas! for sons who are rebellious, Declareth Yahweh. Executing a purpose, but not from me, And pouring out a libation but not from my spirit, - That they may add sin to sin: Who are setting out to go down to Egypt, But at my mouth, have not asked, - Betaking them to the protection of Pharaoh And seeking refuge under the shadow of Egypt.

So then, Ephraim, hath become, like a simple dove, having no understanding, on Egypt, have they called, to Assyria, have they gone,

And he said unto them - Go and tell this fox, Lo! I am casting out demons, and, cures, am I finishing, to-day, and to-morrow, -

In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel, beheld, a dream, and visions of his head upon his bed, - then, the dream, he wrote, the sum of the matters, he told. Daniel spake and said, I was looking, in my vision which came with the night, - when, lo! the four winds of the heavens, bursting forth upon the great sea; and four large wild beasts, coming up out of the sea, - diverse, one from another: -read more.
The foremost, like a lion, having, the wings of an eagle, - I looked until the wings thereof, were torn out, and it was lifted up from the earth, and, upon its feet, like a man, was it caused to stand, and, the heart of a man, was given to it. And, lo! another wild beast, a second, resembling a bear, and, on one side, was it raised up, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth, - and, thus, were they saying to it, Rise! devour much flesh. After that, I was looking, and lo! another like a leopard, and it, had four wings of a bird upon its back, - and four heads, had the wild beast, and dominion, was given to it, After that, I was looking in the visions of the night, when lo! a fourth wild beast, terrible and well-hipped and exceeding strong, and it had, large teeth of iron, it devoured and brake in pieces, and, the residue - with its feet, it trampled down, - and, it, was diverse from all the wild beasts that were before it, and it had, ten horns.

And I saw, out of the sea, a wild-beast coming up; having ten horns, and seven heads, and, upon his horns, ten diadems, and, upon his head, names of blasphemy. And, the beast which I saw, was like unto a leopard; and, his feet, as of a bear, and, his mouth, as the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave unto him his power, and his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads, showing that it had been slain unto death, and, the stroke of his death, was healed. And the whole earth marveled after the wild-beast,

Let, every soul, unto protecting authorities be in subjection; for there is no authority save by God, and, they that are in being, have by God been arranged, -

Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, - not only because of the anger, but also because of the conscience;

Submit yourselves unto every human creation, for the Lord's sake, - whether unto a king, as one that protecteth, Or unto governors, as, through him, sent - for vengeance on evil-doers, but praise to such as do good; Because, so, is the will of God, - by doing good, to be putting to silence, the ignorance of heedless men:read more.
As free, yet, not as a cloak of vice, holding your freedom, but, as God's servants. Unto all men, give honour, unto the brotherhood, shew love, unto God, give reverence, the king, hold in honour.

But Peter and the Apostles, answering, said - It is needful to be yielding obedience unto God rather than unto men: -

But, if not, be it known to thee, O king, - that, thy god, will we not serve, and, the image of gold which thou hast set up, will we not adore.

Then answered they and were saying before the king, Daniel, who is of the sons of the exile of Judah, hath made thee, O king, of none account, also the interdict which thou hast signed, - but, three times a day, is asking his petition.

I exhort, therefore, first of all, that there be made - supplications, prayers, intercessions, thankgivings, in behalf of all men, In behalf of kings, and all them who are, in eminent station; in order that, an undisturbed, and quiet life, we may lead, in all godliness and gravity: