Deu 1:15-17, 16:18, 17:9-12, 33:8-10, Mal 2:4-9, Mat 23:2 | ESV | STEP | So I took the heads of your tribes , wise and experienced men , and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands , commanders of hundreds , commanders of fifties , commanders of tens , and officers , throughout your tribes .

15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, ^aand set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and ^bjudge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 ^cYou shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for ^dthe judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall ^ebring to me, and I will hear it.’

Deuteronomy 16:18

Justice

18 “You shall appoint ^fjudges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

Deuteronomy 17:9-12

9 ^gAnd you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and ^hthey shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. 11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. 12 The man who ⁱacts presumptuously by not obeying the priest ^jwho stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So ^kyou shall purge the evil from Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:8-10

8 And ^lof Levi he said,

“Give to Levi ^{▼▼Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Masoretic Text lacks Give to Levi} ⁿyour Thummim,
and your Urim to your godly one,
^owhom you tested at Massah,
with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah;
9 who said of his father and mother,
‘I regard them not’;
^phe disowned his brothers
and ignored his children.
For ^qthey observed your word
and kept your covenant.
10 ^rThey shall teach Jacob your rules
and Israel your law;
^sthey shall put incense before you
and ^twhole burnt offerings on your altar.

Malachi 2:4-9

4 So shall you know that I have sent ^uthis command to you, that ^vmy covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant with him was one of life and ^wpeace, and I gave them to him. ^xIt was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. 6 ^yTrue instruction ^{▼▼Or law; also verses 7, 8, 9} was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he ^aaturned many from iniquity. 7 For ^abthe lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people ^{▼▼Hebrew they} should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But you have turned aside from the way. ^adYou have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted ^aethe covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, 9 and so ^afI make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but ^agshow partiality in your instruction.”

Matthew 23:2

2 ^ah“The scribes and the Pharisees ^aisit on Moses’ seat,