Deuteronomy 1:16

¹⁴ And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

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.

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.

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.”

¹⁸ And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: 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.
KJV: 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.
WEB: I commanded your judges at that time, saying, “Hear cases between your brothers and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is living with him.
ASV: And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear [the causes] between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the sojourner that is with him.
DARBY: And I commanded your judges at that time, saying, Hear [the causes] between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and him also that sojourneth with him.
BLB: And I commanded your⁺ judges at that time, saying, “Listen between your⁺ brothers and judge righteously between a man and between his brother or the sojourner who is with him.

ÅB: Dengang befalte jeg også deres dommere og sa: Hør på de saker som deres brødre har seg imellom, og døm med rettferdighet mellom en mann og hans bror eller en fremmed som bor hos ham!
OTB: "Så påla jeg deres dommere på den tiden og sa: 'Hør sakene mellom deres folk og døm rettferdig, enten saken er mellom to israelitter eller mellom en israelitt og en fremmed som bor blant dere.
B1930: Dengang bød jeg også eders dommere og sa: Hør på de saker som eders brødre har sig imellem, og døm med rettferdighet mellem en mann og hans bror eller en fremmed som bor hos ham!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

John 7:24
Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
Read in context
Deuteronomy 16:18–19
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.
Read in context
Leviticus 24:22
You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’”
Read in context
Exodus 23:2–3
You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
Read in context
Exodus 22:21
You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Read in context
1 Timothy 5:21
I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.
Read in context
Exodus 23:7–9
Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 19:6–10
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.
Read in context