On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man, and I will spare your lives on one condition.

But in addition, you should choose some capable men and appoint them as leaders of the people: leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They must be God-fearing men who can be trusted and who cannot be bribed.

Let them serve as judges for the people on a permanent basis. They can bring all the difficult cases to you, but they themselves can decide all the smaller disputes. That will make it easier for you, as they share your burden.

and chose capable men from among all the Israelites. He appointed them as leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

They served as judges for the people on a permanent basis, bringing the difficult cases to Moses but deciding the smaller disputes themselves.

Every governor who had been in office before me had been a burden to the people and had demanded forty silver coins a day for food and wine. Even their servants had oppressed the people. But I acted differently, because I honored God.

Your leaders are rebels and friends of thieves; they are always accepting gifts and bribes. They never defend orphans in court or listen when widows present their case.

I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.

Surely you won't kill the innocent with the guilty. That's impossible! You can't do that. If you did, the innocent would be punished along with the guilty. That is impossible. The judge of all the earth has to act justly."

"The LORD is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair.

But what if our doing wrong serves to show up more clearly God's doing right? Can we say that God does wrong when he punishes us? (This would be the natural question to ask.)

By no means! If God is not just, how can he judge the world?

Shall we say, then, that God is unjust? Not at all.

The LORD your God is supreme over all gods and over all powers. He is great and mighty, and he is to be obeyed. He does not show partiality, and he does not accept bribes.

He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly; he loves the foreigners who live with our people, and gives them food and clothes.

He does not take the side of rulers nor favor the rich over the poor, for he created everyone.

Then they sent to him some of their disciples and some members of Herod's party. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you tell the truth. You teach the truth about God's will for people, without worrying about what others think, because you pay no attention to anyone's status.

Peter began to speak: "I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis.

For God judges everyone by the same standard.

But those who seemed to be the leaders---I say this because it makes no difference to me what they were; God does not judge by outward appearances---those leaders, I say, made no new suggestions to me.

Masters, behave in the same way toward your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, who judges everyone by the same standard.

And all wrongdoers will be repaid for the wrong things they do, because God judges everyone by the same standard.

You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him.

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe makes people blind to what is right and ruins the cause of those who are innocent.

"Appoint judges and other officials in every town that the LORD your God gives you. These men are to judge the people impartially.

They are not to be unjust or show partiality in their judgments; and they are not to accept bribes, for gifts blind the eyes even of wise and honest men, and cause them to give wrong decisions.

Your leaders are rebels and friends of thieves; they are always accepting gifts and bribes. They never defend orphans in court or listen when widows present their case.

You can survive if you say and do what is right. Don't use your power to cheat the poor and don't accept bribes. Don't join with those who plan to commit murder or to do other evil things.

They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together.