Deuteronomy 1:2-19

2It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb1 to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. 3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. 4This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

5On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:2

6The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough. 7Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills,3 in the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.

8See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

9At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. 10The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. 12But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself? 13Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”

14And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.

16At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

18And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.

19And just as the LORD our God had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,