Deuteronomy 1:17
New International Version
Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

New Living Translation
and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’

English Standard Version
You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Berean Standard Bible
Show 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.”

King James Bible
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

New King James Version
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

New American Standard Bible
You are not to show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

NASB 1995
‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

NASB 1977
‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Amplified Bible
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear and pay attention to the [cases of the] least [important] as well as the great. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you [to judge], you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Christian Standard Bible
Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.

American Standard Version
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do not accept persons in judgment; listen to the small like the great; you shall not be afraid before a man, because judgment is of God, and the matter that is hard for you, bring to me, and I shall hear it.’

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt not have respect to persons in judgment, thou shalt judge small and great equally; thou shalt not shrink from before the person of a man, for the judgment is God's; and whatsoever matter shall be too hard for you, ye shall bring it to me, and I will hear it.

Contemporary English Version
And it doesn't matter if one is helpless and the other is powerful. Don't be afraid of anyone! No matter who shows up in your court, God will help you make a fair decision. If any case is too hard for you, bring the people to me, and I will make the decision.

Douay-Rheims Bible
There shall be no difference of persons, you shall hear the little as well as the great: neither shall you respect any man's person, because it is the judgment of God. And if any thing seem hard to you, refer it to me, and I will hear it.

English Revised Version
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that's too hard for you, and I will hear it."

Good News Translation
Show no partiality in your decisions; judge everyone on the same basis, no matter who they are. Do not be afraid of anyone, for the decisions you make come from God. If any case is too difficult for you, bring it to me, and I will decide it.'

International Standard Version
When you hold a hearing, don't be partial in judgment toward the least important or toward the great. Never fear men, because judgment belongs to God. If the matter is difficult for you, bring it to me for a hearing.'

JPS Tanakh 1917
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of any man; for the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.'

Literal Standard Version
you do not discern faces in judgment; you hear the little as well as the great; you are not afraid of the face of any, for the judgment is God’s, and the thing which is too hard for you, you bring near to me, and I have heard it.

Majority Standard Bible
Show 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.”

New American Bible
In rendering judgment, do not consider who a person is; give ear to the lowly and to the great alike, fearing no one, for the judgment is God’s. Any case that is too difficult for you bring to me and I will hear it.”

NET Bible
They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing.

New Revised Standard Version
You must not be partial in judging: hear out the small and the great alike; you shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. Any case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.”

New Heart English Bible
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it."

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.

World English Bible
You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”

Young's Literal Translation
ye do not discern faces in judgment; as the little so the great ye do hear; ye are not afraid of the face of any, for the judgment is God's, and the thing which is too hard for you, ye bring near unto me, and I have heard it;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses Appoints Leaders
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. 17 Show 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.…

Cross References
Acts 10:34
Then Peter began to speak: "I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,

James 2:1
My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.

James 2:9
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Genesis 18:25
Far be it from You to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"

Exodus 18:22
Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

Exodus 18:26
And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.

Exodus 23:3
And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.


Treasury of Scripture

You shall not respect persons in judgment; but you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.

shall not

Deuteronomy 10:17
For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

Deuteronomy 16:19
Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

Leviticus 19:15
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

ye shall hear

Exodus 23:3,6,7
Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause…

1 Samuel 12:3,4
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you…

Job 22:6-9
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing…

ye shall not

1 Kings 21:8-14
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth…

Job 31:34
Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

the judgment

2 Chronicles 19:6
And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

the cause

Deuteronomy 17:8-10
If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose; …

Exodus 18:18,22,26
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone…

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Deuteronomy 1
1. Moses' speech in the end of the fortieth year
6. briefly rehearsing the history of God's sending them from Horeb
14. of giving them officers
19. of sending the spies to search the land
34. of his anger for their incredulity
41. and disobedience














(17) The judgment is God's.--Comp. St. Paul in Romans 13:1-4, which is, again, only an expansion of this sentence. For the latter part of this verse comp. Exodus 18:22-26.

Verse 17. - Ye shall not respect persons; literally, look at or regard aces, i.e. ye shall not deal partially, favoring the one party rather than the other (comp. Exodus 23:2, 3; Leviticus 19:15); the small as well as the great were to be heard, and neither for favor nor from fear were they to pervert justice. The judgment is God's; i.e. appointed by God and administered in his name, the judge acting for God and by his authority, and being answerable to him (comp. 2 Chronicles 19:6). Hence the phrases, "to inquire of God," "to bring before God" (Exodus 18:15, 19; Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8, etc.) phrases still in use among the Arabs for a summoning to judicial trial. In the case of a matter coming before the judges which they found it beyond their power to decide, they were to bring it before Moses as a superior authority (see Exodus 18:26) "Some think there were certain causes reserved to the cognizance of Moses; but the contrary appears by these words, that all manner of causes were brought before the judges; and they, not the people, brought such causes before Moses as they found too hard for them to determine. So that they, not the person whose cause it was, judged of the difficulty of the cause. See Selden, lib. 1. "De Synedriis, cap. 16." (Bishop Patrick).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Show no partiality
תַכִּ֨ירוּ (ṯak·kî·rū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5234: To regard, recognize

in judging;
בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט (bam·miš·pāṭ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

hear
תִּשְׁמָע֔וּן (tiš·mā·‘ūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

[both] small
כַּקָּטֹ֤ן (kaq·qā·ṭōn)
Preposition-k, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6996: Small, young, unimportant

and great alike.
כַּגָּדֹל֙ (kag·gā·ḏōl)
Preposition-k, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

Do not
לֹ֤א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be intimidated
תָג֙וּרוּ֙ (ṯā·ḡū·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1481: To turn aside from the road, sojourn, to shrink, fear, to gather for, hostility

by
מִכֶּ֔ם (mik·kem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

anyone,
אִ֔ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

for
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

judgment
הַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט (ham·miš·pāṭ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

belongs to God.
לֵאלֹהִ֣ים (lê·lō·hîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

And bring
תַּקְרִב֥וּן (taq·ri·ḇūn)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

to me
אֵלַ֖י (’ê·lay)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

any case
וְהַדָּבָר֙ (wə·had·dā·ḇār)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

too difficult for you,
יִקְשֶׁ֣ה (yiq·šeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7185: To be hard, severe or fierce

and I will hear it.”
וּשְׁמַעְתִּֽיו׃ (ū·šə·ma‘·tîw)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 1:17 You shall not show partiality in judgment (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 1:16
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