27 Bible Verses about Magistrates

They do not know, neither do they understand; they walk in darkness; they move all the foundations of the earth.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor is beer for princes

Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.

Moreover thou shalt consider out of all the people men of virtue, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place princes over them, of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Give me from among you, of your tribes, wise and understanding and expert men, and I will make them the head over you.

These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

and he made him to ride in his second chariot; and they cried before him, Abrech Tender Father-honour this one as a precious father; and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king.

So the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan.

On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they, blessing the king, went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done unto David, his slave, and unto Israel his people.

They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren and judge righteously between every man and his brother and the stranger that is with him.

Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.

If there is a controversy between persons and they come unto judgment and they are judged, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.

Therefore, now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.

The God of Israel dictated unto me, the strong One of Israel spoke): He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

And thou shalt take no bribe; for the bribe blinds the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

Thou shalt not twist that which is right; thou shalt not respect persons neither take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

Ye shall not respect persons in judgment, but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

Thou shalt not pervert the rights of thy poor in his cause.

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it.

Then he released Barabbas unto them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

for he is a minister of God for thy good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil.

and unto governors as unto those that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those that do well.

for he is a minister of God for thy good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil.

For this cause ye also pay them tribute, for they are God's ministers, attending continually to this very thing.

Moreover thou shalt consider out of all the people men of virtue, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place princes over them, of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, set as judges and governors, who govern all the people that are on the other side of the river, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach those that do not know them.

because I delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless who had no one to help him.

I was a father to the needy; and the cause which I did not know I searched out.

and said to the judges, Take heed what ye do, for ye do not judge for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the word of judgment.

Behold, here I am; witness against me before the LORD and before his anointed. If I have taken anyone's ox or if I have taken anyone's ass or if I have defrauded anyone or if I have oppressed anyone or if I have received a bribe from anyone to blind my eyes, I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us; neither hast thou taken anything of any man's hand.

In that season two women, that were harlots, came unto the king and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered that this woman was delivered also and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. read more.
And this woman's child died in the night because she lay on top of him. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I had given birth to. And the other woman said, No, but my son is alive, and thy son is dead. And this one said, No, but thy son is dead, and my son is alive. Thus they spoke before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that is alive, and thy son is dead. And the other saith, No; but thy son is dead, and my son is alive. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two and give half to the one and half to the other. Then the woman, of whom the living child was, spoke unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it, for she is its mother. And all Israel heard of that judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to judge.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and integrity.

saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down in Moses' seat; therefore, whatever they bid you to observe, observe it and do it, but do not act according to their works, for they say and do not do it.

As a roaring lion and a hungry bear, so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely,

And he drove them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.

Shallun, the son of Colhozeh, the prince of the region of Mizpah, restored the gate of the fountain; he built it, covered it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and the wall of the pool of Siloah of the king's garden, unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.

And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after greed, receiving bribes and perverting that which is right.

Moreover thou shalt consider out of all the people men of virtue, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place princes over them, of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

neither were they merciful with the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the good which he had done unto Israel.

he that exhorts, in exhortation; he that gives, let him do it in simplicity; he that presides, in earnest care; he that shows mercy, in cheerfulness.

Give, therefore, thy slave a hearing heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this thy so great a people?

For the magistrates are not a terror unto those who do good, but to the doer of evil. Is thy desire therefore to not fear the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same;

Let every soul submit itself to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God.

He hoped also that money should have been given him from Paul, that he might loose him; therefore he sent for him many times and communed with him.

Then this Daniel was preferred above these governors and presidents because an overabundance of the Spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole kingdom.

Then the presidents and governors looked for occasions against Daniel on behalf of the kingdom, but they could find no occasion or fault because he was faithful, and no vice nor fault was found in him.

I was a father to the needy; and the cause which I did not know I searched out.

And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thy hand, set as judges and governors, who govern all the people that are on the other side of the river, all such as know the laws of thy God, and teach those that do not know them.

And whoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let them be judged speedily, whether it be unto death or to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment.

Then Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the prince of the priests, for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.