Deuteronomy 1:9-19

9 "At that time I told you, 'You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone.
10 ADONAI your God has multiplied your numbers, so that there are as many of you today as there are stars in the sky.
11 May ADONAI, the God of your ancestors, increase you yet a thousandfold and bless you, as he has promised you!
12 But you are burdensome, bothersome and quarrelsome! How can I bear it by myself alone?
13 Pick for yourselves from each of your tribes men who are wise, understanding and knowledgeable; and I will make them heads over you.'
14 "You answered me, 'What you have said would be a good thing for us to do.'
15 So I took the heads of your tribes, men wise and knowledgable, and made them heads over you - leaders in charge of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe.
16 At that time I commissioned your judges, 'Hear the cases that arise between your brothers; and judge fairly between a man and his brother, and the foreigner who is with him.
17 You are not to show favoritism when judging, but give equal attention to the small and to the great. No matter how a person presents himself, don't be afraid of him; because the decision is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me and I will hear it.'
18 I also gave you orders at that time concerning all the things you were to do.
19 "So we left Horev and went through all that vast and fearsome desert which you saw on the way to the hill-country of the Emori, as ADONAI our God ordered us; and we arrived at Kadesh-Barnea.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.