6. People of Israel, when we were in our camp at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God told us:You have stayed here long enough.
7. Leave this place and go into the land that belongs to the Amorites and their neighbours the Canaanites. This land includes the valley of the River Jordan, the hill country, the western foothills, the Southern Desert, the Mediterranean coast, the Lebanon Mountains, and all the territory as far as the River Euphrates.
8. I give you this land, just as I promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now you must go and take the land.
9. Straight after the Lord commanded us to leave Mount Sinai, I told you:Israel, being your leader is too big a job for one person.
10. The Lord our God has blessed us, and so now there are as many of us as there are stars in the sky.
11. God has even promised to bless us a thousand times more, and I pray that he will.
12. But I cannot take care of all your problems and settle all your arguments alone.
13. Each tribe must choose some experienced men who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will make those men the official leaders of their tribes.
14. You answered, “That's a good idea!”
15. Then I took these men, who were already wise and respected leaders, and I appointed them as your official leaders. Some of them became military officers in charge of groups of a thousand, or a hundred, or fifty, or ten,
16. and others became judges. I gave these judges the following instructions:When you settle legal cases, your decisions must be fair. It doesn't matter if the case is between two Israelites, or between an Israelite and a foreigner living in your community.