He said,“ In a certain town there was a judge. He didn’t have any respect for God or care about what people thought.

说：“某城里有一个官，不惧怕神，也不尊重世人。

他说：“某城有一个官，不惧怕上帝，也不尊重人。

他说：“某城有一个官，不惧怕神，也不尊重人。

祂说：“某城有一位既不敬畏上帝也不尊重人的审判官。

他说：“某城里有一个法官，不惧怕神，也不尊敬人。

他说：“某城里有一个审判官，他既不敬畏神，也不尊重人。

說：「某城裏有一個官，不懼怕神，也不尊重世人。

他說：「某城有一個官，不懼怕上帝，也不尊重人。

他說：「某城有一個官，不懼怕神，也不尊重人。

祂說：「某城有一位既不敬畏上帝也不尊重人的審判官。

他說：“某城裡有一個法官，不懼怕神，也不尊敬人。

他說：『某城裏有一個審判官不敬畏上帝，也不尊敬人。

他說：「某城裡有一個審判官，他既不敬畏神，也不尊重人。

曰、邑有士師、不畏上帝、不禮世人、

曰、邑有士師、不畏上帝、不禮世人、

曰、某邑有一士師、不畏天主、不禮世人、

曰『昔有邑宰、不敬天主、無恤於人。

He said:“ In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.

He said,“ In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.

“ There was a judge in a certain city,” he said,“ who neither feared God nor cared about people.

“ There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people.

saying,“ In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person.

saying:“ There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man:

“ There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect man.

Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

He said,“ In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people.

saying,“ There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man.

Those who do what is right want to treat poor people fairly. But those who do what is wrong don’t care about the poor.

“ For some time the judge refused. But finally he said to himself,‘ I don’t have any respect for God. I don’t care about what people think.

“ Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.”( Psalm 10:7)“ They run quickly to commit murder.They leave a trail of harmful actions.They do not know how to live in peace.”( Isaiah 59:7, 8)“ They don’t have any respect for God.”( Psalm 36:1)

Then I said,“ Listen, you leaders of Jacob’s people! Pay attention, you rulers of Israel! You should want to judge others fairly.But you hate what is good. And you love what is evil. You are like someone who tears the skin off my people. You pull the meat off their bones.You eat my people’s bodies. You strip off their skin. You break their bones in pieces. You chop them up like meat. You put them in a cooking pot.”

“‘ “The princes of Israel are in your city. All of them use their power to spill blood.They have made fun of fathers and mothers alike. They have crushed outsiders. They have treated badly the children whose fathers have died. They have done the same thing to widows.You have looked down on the holy things that were set apart to me. You have misused my Sabbath days.

“ In those days I went to the city gate. I took my seat as a member of the council.Young people who saw me stepped to one side. Old people stood up as I approached.The leaders stopped speaking. They covered their mouths with their hands.The voices of the nobles became quiet. Their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.Everyone who heard me said good things about me. Those who saw me honored me.That’s because I saved poor people who cried out for help. I saved helpless children whose fathers had died.Those who were dying gave me their blessing. I made the hearts of widows sing.I put on a godly life as if it were my clothes. Fairness was my robe and my turban.I was like eyes for those who were blind. I was like feet for those who couldn’t walk.I was like a father to needy people. I stood up for strangers in court.Sinners are like animals that have powerful teeth. But I took from their mouths the people they had caught.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in the whole earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.You have made sure that children and infants praise you. Their praise is a wall that stops the talk of your enemies.I think about the heavens. I think about what your fingers have created. I think about the moon and stars that you have set in place.What are human beings that you think about them? What is a son of man that you take care of him?

But choose men of ability from all the people. They must have respect for God. You must be able to trust them. They must not try to get money by cheating others. Appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.Let them serve the people as judges. But have them bring every hard case to you. They can decide the easy ones themselves. That will make your load lighter. They will share it with you.

But there’s some good in you. You have removed all the poles in the land used to worship the female god named Asherah. And you have worshiped God with all your heart.”Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out again among the people. He went from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim. He turned the people back to the Lord, the God of Israel.Jehoshaphat appointed judges in the land. He put them in all the cities of Judah that had high walls around them.He told the judges,“ Think carefully about what you do. After all, you aren’t judging for human beings. You are judging for the Lord. He’s with you every time you make a decision.Have respect for the Lord. Judge carefully. He is always right. He treats everyone the same. Our God doesn’t want his judges to take money from people who want special favors.”In Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat chose some Levites and priests. He also chose some leaders of Israelite families. He appointed all of them to apply the law of the Lord fairly. He wanted them to decide cases. He wanted them to settle matters between people. All those judges lived in Jerusalem.Here are the orders Jehoshaphat gave them. He said,“ Have respect for the Lord. Serve him faithfully. Do it with all your heart.

He stood up for those who were poor or needy. So everything went well with him. That is what it means to know me,” announces the Lord.“ Jehoiakim, the only thing on your mind is to get rich by cheating others. You would even kill people who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. You would mistreat them. You would take everything they own.”

The wide roads are deserted. No one travels on them. Our peace treaty with Assyria is broken. Those who witnessed it are looked down on. No one is respected.