¹ Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.

¹⁸ You are to make judges and overseers in all your towns which the Lord your God gives you, for every tribe: and they are to be upright men, judging the people in righteousness.

¹⁹ You are not to be moved in your judging by a man's position, you are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false.

²¹ I give you orders before God and Christ Jesus and the angels of God's selection, to keep these orders without giving thought to one side more than another.

¹⁰ Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Be our ruler, you and your son and your son's son after him; for you have been our saviour from the hands of Midian.

²³ But Gideon said to them, I will not be a ruler over you, and my son will not be a ruler over you: it is the Lord who will be ruler over you.

⁴ And he had thirty sons, who went on thirty young asses; and they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are named Havvoth-Jair to this day.

¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty sons' sons who went on seventy young asses; and he was judge of Israel for eight years.

⁵ And he put judges through all the land, in every walled town of Judah,

⁶ And said to the judges, Take care what you do, for you are judging not for man but for the Lord, and he is with you in the decisions you give.

² I made my brother Hanani, and Hananiah, the ruler of the tower, responsible for the government of Jerusalem: for he was a man of good faith, fearing God more than most.