I, together with my seven counselors, send you to investigate the conditions in Jerusalem and Judah in order to see how well the Law of your God, which has been entrusted to you, is being obeyed.

When the people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision, they were all filled with deep respect for him, because they knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.

And may the LORD your God give you insight and wisdom so that you may govern Israel according to his Law.

The law of the LORD is perfect; it gives new strength. The commands of the LORD are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

Your commandment is with me all the time and makes me wiser than my enemies.

I have greater wisdom than those who are old, because I obey your commands.

It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.

Their instructions are a shining light; their correction can teach you how to live.

But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.

And goodness is the harvest that is produced from the seeds the peacemakers plant in peace.

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.

If you do this, as God commands, you will not wear yourself out, and all these people can go home with their disputes settled."

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

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

The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes,

In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the LORD or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city.

Whenever your fellow citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the LORD. Unless you do, you and your fellow citizens will feel the force of the LORD's anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty.

Then Emperor Darius sent the following reply: "To Tattenai, governor of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and your fellow officials in West-of-Euphrates. "Stay away from the Temple

Ezra had devoted his life to studying the Law of the LORD, to practicing it, and to teaching all its laws and regulations to the people of Israel.

In the third year of his reign he sent out the following officials to teach in the cities of Judah: Benhail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.

They took the book of the Law of the LORD and went through all the towns of Judah, teaching it to the people.

By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the LORD had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law.

There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively.

For about three hours the Law of the LORD their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.

When the Law of Moses was being read aloud to the people, they came to the passage that said that no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to be permitted to join God's people.

When the people of Israel heard this law read, they excluded all foreigners from the community.

It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the LORD Almighty.

So he replied, "This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room."

"The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law.

So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach.

When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

But how can they call to him for help if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard the message? And how can they hear if the message is not proclaimed?

But not all have accepted the Good News. Isaiah himself said, "Lord, who believed our message?"