3. Forty years after the Israelites had left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses told the people of Israel everything the Lord had commanded him to tell them.
4. This was after the Lord had defeated Sihon and Og. Sihon was king of the Amorite people and lived in Heshbon. Og was king of Bashan and lived in Ashteroth and Edrei.
5. Now the Israelites were east of the Jordan River in the land of Moab, and there Moses began to explain what God had commanded. He said:
6. The Lord our God spoke to us at Mount Sinai and said, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
7. Get ready, and go to the mountain country of the Amorites, and to all the places around there—the Jordan Valley, the mountains, the western hills, the southern area, the seacoast, the land of Canaan, and Lebanon. Go as far as the great river, the Euphrates.
8. See, I have given you this land, so go in and take it for yourselves. The Lord promised it to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants.”
9. At that time I said, “I am not able to take care of you by myself.
10. The Lord your God has made you grow in number so that there are as many of you as there are stars in the sky.
11. I pray that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, will give you a thousand times more people and do all the wonderful things he promised.
12. But I cannot take care of your problems, your troubles, and your arguments by myself.
13. So choose some men from each tribe—wise men who have understanding and experience—and I will make them leaders over you.”
14. And you said, “That’s a good thing to do.”
15. So I took the wise and experienced leaders of your tribes, and I made them your leaders. I appointed commanders over a thousand people, over a hundred people, over fifty people, and over ten people and made them officers over your tribes.
16. Then I told your leaders, “Listen to the arguments between your people. Judge fairly between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner.
17. When you judge, be fair to everyone; don’t act as if one person is more important than another, and don’t be afraid of anyone, because your decision comes from God. Bring the hard cases to me, and I will judge them.”
18. At that time I told you everything you must do.