Surely you would not do that! Would you slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked? Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Three months later Judah was told: Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant. Judah said: Bring her out and have her burned to death!

The next day Moses settled disputes among the people. He was busy from morning till night. Jethro saw everything that Moses had to do. He asked: What is all this that you are doing for the people? Why are you doing this all alone? There are people standing here from morning till night to consult you? read more. Moses answered: They come here to find out what God wants them to do. They bring their complaints to me. I make decisions on the basis of God's laws. Jethro replied: That is not a good way to do it. You and your people will wear yourselves out. This is too much work for you. You cannot do it alone! Listen to the advice I give you. May God be with you! You must be the people's representative to God and bring their disagreements to him. You must instruct them in the laws and the teachings. Show them how to live and tell them what to do. You should choose capable men from all the people. Find men who respect God. These must be men you can trust who hate corruption. Put them in charge of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They must be the ones who usually settle disagreements among the people. They should bring all-important cases to you. But they should settle all minor cases themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them help you. If you do this, as God commands, you will not wear yourself out. All these people can go home with their disputes settled. Moses took Jethro's advice and chose capable men from among all the Israelites. He appointed them as leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They judged the people on a permanent basis. The difficult cases were taken to Moses but they decided the smaller disputes themselves.

They judged the people on a permanent basis. The difficult cases were taken to Moses but they decided the smaller disputes themselves. Moses said good-bye to Jethro, and Jethro went back home.

If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to God to find out whether or not he took his neighbor's valuables.

If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to God to find out whether or not he took his neighbor's valuables. There is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, and any other lost property which two people claim as their own. Both people must bring their case to God. The one whom God declares guilty must make up for his neighbor's loss with double the amount.

There is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, and any other lost property which two people claim as their own. Both people must bring their case to God. The one whom God declares guilty must make up for his neighbor's loss with double the amount.

Jehovah replied to Moses: Assemble seventy respected men who are recognized as elders of the people. Bring them to me at the tent of my presence, and tell them to stand there beside you.

If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you should go to the place Jehovah your God chooses. Approach the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days. Inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. read more. Act according to the terms of the verdict they declare to you from that place Jehovah chooses. Be careful to abide by all that they teach you. Act according to the verdict and the terms they tell you. Do not turn away from the word they declare to you. The man who acts presumptuously and does not listen to the priest or the judge will die. This way you will purge the evil from Israel. The priests and judges are there to serve Jehovah your God. Then all the people will hear and be afraid. They will not act presumptuously again.

One witness is not enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

One witness is not enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime.

This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime. The two people involved must stand in Jehovah's presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time.

The two people involved must stand in Jehovah's presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time. The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite,

The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite, do to him what he planned to do to the other person. Get rid of this evil.

do to him what he planned to do to the other person. Get rid of this evil. When other people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you.

When other people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Have no pity on him: Take a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

Have no pity on him: Take a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

This is what you must do if you find a murder victim lying in a field in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you. If no one knows who committed the murder, your elders and judges must go and measure the distance from the body to each of the neighboring cities. read more. When it is determined which city is nearest the body, the elders from that city must choose a heifer that has never been put to work and never worn a yoke. The elders of that city will bring the heifer down to a river, to a location where the land has not been plowed or planted. At the river they must break the heifer's neck. Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near. Jehovah your God has chosen them to serve him and to bless in the name of Jehovah. They will settle every dispute and every assault. All the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. They will answer: 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did we see it. Forgive your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Jehovah. Do not hold us responsible for the murder of an innocent person.' Forgive them of bloodguilt. Remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst. Do what is right in the eyes of Jehovah's.

If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not listen or obey his father or his mother when they chastise him, His father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.

His father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. They shall say to the elders of his city: This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious! He will not obey us! He is a glutton and a drunkard. read more. All the men of his city shall stone him to death. In that way you will remove the evil from your midst. All Israel will hear about it and fear.

The girl's father and her mother must present evidence of the girl's virginity to the elders of the city at the gate.

If the man does not desire to take his brother's wife, his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say: My husband's brother refuses to establish a name for his brother in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.

He is the Rock! His work is perfect. For all His ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without evil. He is just and upright.

Let Your Thummim and Your Urim belong to your godly man, whom you tested at Massah and with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah.

We want to be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles.

He would rise early in the morning and stand by the road at the city gate. When someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. After the man told him what tribe he was from, Absalom would say: My friend, the law is on your side. However, there is no representative of the king to hear your case. read more. He added: How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me. I would give him justice. The man would approach Absalom and bow down before him. Then Absalom would reach out and hug and kiss him. Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment. That way he won their loyalty.

He made the hall for the throne. It was a place where he could sit on his throne and judge. The hall was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

He made the hall for the throne. It was a place where he could sit on his throne and judge. The hall was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

So she sent a letter in Ahab's name, stamped with his stamp, to the elders and nobles who were in authority with Naboth. The letter she wrote is as follows: Let a time of public sorrow be fixed, and put Naboth at the head of the people. read more. Get two good-for-nothing persons to come before him and give witness that he has been cursing God and the king. Then take him out and have him stoned to death. So the elders and nobles in authority in his town did as Jezebel said in the letter she sent them. They gave orders for a day of public sorrow and put Naboth at the head of the people. The two good-for-nothing persons came in and took their seats before him and gave witness against Naboth, in front of the people. They said: Naboth has been cursing God and the king. Then they took him outside the town and had him stoned to death.

And you, Ezra, by the wisdom of your God which is in you, are to put rulers and judges to have authority over all the people across the river who have knowledge of the laws of your God. You are to teach any who have no knowledge of them.

So now let our rulers be representatives for all the people. Let all those in our towns who are married to strange women come at fixed times, and with them the responsible men and the judges of every town, till the burning wrath of our God is turned away from us, and this has been done.

Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!

Now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked. Judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

We cannot find the Almighty. He is exalted in power but will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before you.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before you.

Clouds, gloom and darkness are all around Him. Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

Your rulers are rebels, friends with thieves. They all love bribes and run after gifts. They never defend orphans. They do not listen to the widows' pleas.

I am Jehovah of Hosts (All Powerful)! Israel is the vineyard, and Judah is the garden I tended with care. I had hoped for honesty and for justice, but dishonesty and cries for mercy were all I found.

You are doomed! You call evil good and you call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter, sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter.

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

He will delight in the reverence of Jehovah. He will not judge by what his eyes see, nor make a decision by what his ears hear. But with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth (power of his words), and with the spirit (breath) of his lips he will destroy the wicked.

Jehovah is waiting to be kind to you. He rises to have compassion on you. Jehovah is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.

All who came upon them have devoured them. Their adversaries said: 'We are not guilty. They have sinned against Jehovah who is the habitation of righteousness, Even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers.'

If he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man,

Some of your people murder for pay. Some charge interest on the loans they make to other Israelites and get rich by taking advantage of them. They have forgotten me. The Lord Jehovah has spoken.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, extol and honor the King of heaven. All his works are truth, and his ways justice. He is able to abase (humble) (subdue) those who walk in pride.

I know you have many transgressions and your sins are great. You afflict the righteous. You take bribes. You refuse to help the needy at the gate.

Hate evil, and love good! Establish justice in the gate. It may be that Jehovah, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

The leaders judge for a bribe, and the priests teach for wages! The prophets predict for money yet they rely on Jehovah when they say: Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? No evil will come upon us.

They diligently seek to do evil with their hands. The prince asks and the judge is ready for a bribe. The great man utters his own evil desire. They weave it together.

These are the things that you should do. Every man should speak the truth with his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates (towns).

It was the night before Herod was to bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was bound with two chains. Sentries stood guard at the prison door.

Then the military commander came near and laid hold on him. He commanded that he be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.

If I am a wrongdoer, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if charges brought against me by the Jews are not true no man has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar. Then Festus conferred with his council and answered: Have you appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go.

The natives saw the snake hanging on Paul's hand and said to one another: This man must be a murderer, but Fate will not let him live, even though he escaped from the sea.