Exodus 18:21

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Exodus 18:19–23 · Berean Standard Bible

19 Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him.

20 Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do.

21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

22 Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

23 If you follow this advice and God so directs you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people can go home in peace.”

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Deuteronomy 1:13

Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”

Deuteronomy 1:14

And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

Deuteronomy 1:15

So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.

Deuteronomy 1:16

At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.

Deuteronomy 1:17

Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

Acts 6:3

Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them

Exodus 18:25

So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Deuteronomy 16:18

You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.

1 Kings 3:9

Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”

1 Kings 3:10

Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request.

1 Kings 3:11

So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice—

1 Kings 3:12

behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you.

Proverbs 28:2

A land in rebellion has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

Exodus 23:2

You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

Exodus 23:3

And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

Exodus 23:4

If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

Exodus 23:5

If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it.

Exodus 23:6

You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.

Exodus 23:7

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Exodus 23:8

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

Exodus 23:9

Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Genesis 22:12

“Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”

Genesis 42:18

and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

2 Samuel 23:3

The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God,

1 Kings 18:3

and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,

1 Kings 18:12

I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

2 Chronicles 19:5

He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.

2 Chronicles 19:6

Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.

2 Chronicles 19:7

And now, may the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

2 Chronicles 19:8

Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the Israelite families to judge on behalf of the LORD and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 19:9

He commanded them, saying, “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 19:10

For every dispute that comes before you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether it regards bloodshed or some other violation of law, commandments, statutes, or ordinances—you are to warn them, so that they will not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath will not come upon you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.

Nehemiah 5:9

So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?

Nehemiah 7:2

Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.

Luke 18:2

“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men.

Luke 18:4

For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,

Job 29:16

I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.

Job 31:13

If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,

Isaiah 16:5

in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.

Isaiah 59:4

No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

Isaiah 59:14

So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:15

Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.

Jeremiah 5:1

“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.

Ezekiel 18:8

He does not engage in usury or take excess interest, but he withholds his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between men.

Zechariah 7:9

“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another.

Zechariah 8:16

These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates,

Deuteronomy 16:19

Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

1 Samuel 8:3

But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.

1 Samuel 12:3

Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”

1 Samuel 12:4

“You have not wronged us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”

Psalms 26:9

Do not take my soul away with sinners, or my life with men of bloodshed,

Psalms 26:10

in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.

Isaiah 33:15

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

Ezekiel 22:12

In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

Acts 20:33

I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.

1 Timothy 3:3

not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

1 Timothy 6:9

Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:11

But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

2 Peter 2:14

Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.

2 Peter 2:15

They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

Numbers 10:4

But if only one is sounded, then the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, are to gather before you.

Joshua 22:14

With him they sent ten chiefs—one family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family among the clans of Israel.

1 Samuel 8:12

He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.