Then I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel. Should you not embrace justice,

我说：雅各的首领，以色列家的官长啊，你们要听！你们不当知道公平吗？

于是我说：雅各的领袖，以色列家的官长啊，你们要听！你们岂不知道公平吗？

于是我说：雅各的领袖，以色列家的官长啊，你们要听！你们岂不知道公平吗？

我说：“雅各的首领，以色列家的统治者啊！你们要听！难道你们不知正义吗？

我说：“雅各的首领，你们要听，以色列家的官长，你们也要听；难道你们不知道公平吗？

我說：雅各的首領，以色列家的官長啊，你們要聽！你們不當知道公平嗎？

於是我說：雅各的領袖，以色列家的官長啊，你們要聽！你們豈不知道公平嗎？

於是我說：雅各的領袖，以色列家的官長啊，你們要聽！你們豈不知道公平嗎？

我說：「雅各的首領，以色列家的統治者啊！你們要聽！難道你們不知正義嗎？

我說：“雅各的首領，你們要聽，以色列家的官長，你們也要聽；難道你們不知道公平嗎？

我說：雅各的首領啊，你們要聽；以色列家的官長啊，你們要留心；你們的本分不是應當明白公平麼？

我曰、雅各之首領、以色列家之有司歟、爾其聽之、公義非爾所當知乎、

我曰、雅各之長者、以色列族之士師、宜聽我言、聽訟之理、非爾所當知乎、

我曰、雅各之諸長者、以色列族之秉權者、秉權者或作侯伯當聽我言、聽訟之理、聽訟之理或作按理以審判非爾所當知乎、

Then I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Jacob’s people! Pay attention, you rulers of Israel! You should want to judge others fairly.

And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—

I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong,

Then I said,“ Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?

And I said,“ Hear now, you leaders of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?

And I said:“ Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?

And I said, Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: is it not for you to know justice?

Then I said,“ Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?

And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel;[ Is it] not for you to know judgment?

I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the nation of Israel! You ought to know what is just,

I said,“ Please listen, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Isn’t it for you to know justice?

I thought,“ These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.” But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.

God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the“ gods”:“ How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.“ The‘ gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

“ Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, royal house! This judgment is against you: You have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread out on Tabor.

Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands,“ Bring us some drinks!”

I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?

Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to utter darkness and change it to deep gloom.If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.Say to the king and to the queen mother,“ Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads.”

Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”You answered me,“ What you propose to do is good.”So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you— as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.And I charged your judges at that time,“ Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.

‘ Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne— you, your officials and your people who come through these gates.This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.

He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.He told them,“ Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict.Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem.He gave them these orders:“ You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.In every case that comes before you from your people who live in the cities— whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or regulations— you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your people. Do this, and you will not sin.

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right;who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness.