Deuteronomy 1:2-19

2(It is a journey of 11 days from Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea, along the road past Mount Seir.)

3Moses spoke to the Israelites on the first day of the 11th month, in the 40th year of their journey. He told the Israelites the message that the Lord had commanded him to speak.

4This happened after Moses and the Israelites had won against Sihon, king of the Amorites. Sihon ruled in Heshbon. They had also won against Og, the king of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth. The Israelites fought against him at Edrei.

5Moses began to speak the Lord's message on the east side of the Jordan River, in Moab's country. This is what he said:

6The Lord our God said to us at Sinai, ‘You have stayed for a long time near this mountain.

7Now you must continue your journey. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the regions near there. Go to the Jordan Valley and the mountains and the low hills in the west. Go to the Negev in the south, and to the Mediterranean coast. Go to the land of Canaan and to Lebanon, even as far as the great Euphrates river.

8Look! I have given you all this land. Go there and take it for yourselves. I, the Lord, promised to give this land to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to their descendants.’

9At that time I, Moses, said this to you: ‘I cannot lead you and help you by myself. It is too difficult for me to do alone.

10The Lord your God has caused you to become very many people. You are as many as the stars in the sky!

11I pray that the Lord, your ancestors' God, will cause you to become a thousand times as many people. That is how he has promised to bless you.

12But I cannot help you with your troubles and arguments all by myself.

13You must choose some wise men who understand what is right. Choose people that you know, from each of your tribes. Then I will give them authority as your leaders.’

14You answered me, ‘That is a good idea!’

15So I chose men that you knew were wise to be the leaders in your tribes. I gave them authority to rule over you. Some were leaders of groups of 1,000 men. Some led groups of 100 men, or 50 men, or ten men. I also chose other officers for each tribe.

16At that time, I said to your leaders, ‘Listen to the arguments between the Israelites that you lead. Decide what is right. Do that when the argument is between two Israelites. Do the same thing when the argument is between an Israelite and a foreign person who lives among you.

17When you judge them, do not make any difference between important people and poor people. Listen to all of them in a careful way. Do not be afraid of anyone. God is the one who decides what is right. If it is too difficult for you to decide who is right, bring it to me. I will listen and then I will decide what is right.’

18So, at that time, I told you about everything that you should do.

19Then we left Sinai, as the Lord our God had commanded us to do. We travelled through the desert towards the hill country of the Amorites. You saw that the desert was very big and it made you very afraid. Finally, we arrived at Kadesh-Barnea.