Deuteronomy 1:9-18

⁹“I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you alone. ¹⁰The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. ¹¹May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you! ¹²How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife? ¹³Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ ¹⁴You answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ ¹⁵So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.

¹⁶“Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him. ¹⁷You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ ¹⁸I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.