4. This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.
5. The Israelites were east of the Jordan River in Moab when Moses began to review God’s teachings.This is what he said:
6. At Mount Horeb the Lord our God said to us, “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
7. Break camp, and get ready! Go to the mountain region of the Amorites, and go to everyone living on the plains, in the mountains, in the foothills, in the Negev, on the whole Mediterranean coast (the land of the Canaanites), and into Lebanon as far as the Euphrates River.
8. I’m giving you this land. Enter, and take possession of the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to you, their descendants.”
9. At that time I said to you, “I’m not able to take care of you by myself.
10. The Lord your God has made your population increase so that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky.
11. May the Lord God of your ancestors make you a thousand times more numerous, and may he bless you as he has promised.
12. How can I take care of your problems, your troubles, and your disagreements all by myself?
13. From each of your tribes, choose some men who are wise, intelligent, and experienced, and I’ll appoint them to be your leaders.”
14. You agreed that this was a good idea.
15. So I took the heads of your tribes who were wise and experienced men and made them officers for each of your tribes. I put them in charge of groups of 1,000, or 100, or 50, or 10 people.
16. Also at that time I gave these instructions to your judges: “Hear the cases that your people bring. Judge each case fairly, no matter whether it is ⌊a dispute⌋ between two Israelites or ⌊a dispute⌋ between an Israelite and a non-Israelite.
17. Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that’s too hard for you, and I will hear it.”