from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

<p class="poetry">The heavens declare his fairness,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for God is judge.<n id="2" /> (Selah)p>

<p class="poetry">For God is the judge!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He brings one down and exalts another.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Rise up, O judge of the earth!p> <p class="poetry">Pay back the proud!p>

<p class="poetry">Open your mouth, judge in righteousness,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and plead the cause<n id="2" /> of the poor and needy.p>

Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there. He also judged<n id="1" /> Israel there and built an altar to the <sc>Lordsc> there.p>

Absalom would then say, &#8220;If only they would make me<n id="1" /> a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint<n id="2" /> could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.&#8221;p>

You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet.

Then he said, &#8220;May God judge me severely<n id="1" /> if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the cattle grazing in Sharon;p> <p class="bodytext">Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys.p>

<p class="poetry">Then a trustworthy king will be established;p> <p class="poetry">he will rule in a reliable manner,p> <p class="poetry">this one from David&#8217;s family.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He will be sure to make just decisionsp> <p class="poetry">and will be experienced in executing justice.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">So I said to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;O <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all,<n id="2" /> you are a just judge!p> <p class="poetry">You examine people&#8217;s hearts and minds.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I want to see you pay them back for what they have donep> <p class="poetry">because I trust you to vindicate my cause.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.

<p class="poetry"><v id="(4:14)" /><n id="1" /> But now slash yourself,<n id="2" /> daughter surrounded by soldiers!<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">We are besieged!p> <p class="poetry">With a scepter<n id="4" /> they strike Israel&#8217;s ruler<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">on the side of his face.p>

His brothers and all his family<n id="1" /> went down and brought him back.<n id="2" /> They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led<n id="3" /> Israel for twenty years.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">During the time of the judges<n id="1" /> there was a famine in the land of Judah.<n id="2" /> So a man from Bethlehem<n id="3" /> in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner<n id="4" /> in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons.<n id="5" />

You<n id="1" /> should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of<n id="2" /> the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God,<n id="3" /> and he did not rebuke them.

<p class="bodytext">When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli<n id="1" /> fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he<n id="2" /> was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.p>

When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected<n id="1" /> the king, for they realized<n id="2" /> that he possessed supernatural wisdom<n id="3" /> to make judicial decisions.p>

<p class="bodytext">Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him.