What Does the Bible Say About Rulers?

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.”

“The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.”

“And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.”

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.”

“And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;”

“And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.”

“And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.”

“And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly ; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.”

“And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.”

“And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:”

“Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.”

“Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”

“And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? sustained: or, supported”

“And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.”

“And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison , a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison .”

“Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.”

“And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.”

“And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:”

“And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.”

“Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.”

“These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.”

“When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. one: Heb. a man and his fellow”

“And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.”

“Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:”

“And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.”

“Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.”

“Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.”

“Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.”

“And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. the wise: Heb. the seeing”

“Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. heart: Heb. soul”

“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 have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.”

“Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. standing: or, pillar image of: or, figured stone: Heb. a stone of picture”

“And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.”

“Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,”

“Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.”

“Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. Take: Heb. Give”

“And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.”

“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. respect: Heb. acknowledge faces”

“Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.”

“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. words: or, matters”

“That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. That which: Heb. Justice, justice”

“But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.”

“Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.”

“And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:”

“And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:”

“That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.”

“And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;”

“Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.”

“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”

“If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.”

“Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.”

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. prosper: or, do wisely”

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. have: or, do wisely”

“And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. their thumbs: Heb. the thumbs of their hands and of their feet gathered: or, gleaned”

“Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,”

“And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,”

“And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.”

“And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.”

“And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.”

“And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.”

“And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.”

“And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. officers: Heb. eunuchs”

“And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.”

“He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.”

“And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”

“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. He: or, Be thou ruler, etc”

“And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.”

“In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.”

“And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.”

“Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do judgment and justice.”

“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 . in: Heb. in the matter of judgment”

“Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.”

“For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.”

“Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. rolls: Chaldee, books laid up: Chaldee, made to descend”

“And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.”

“And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. to banishment: Chaldee, to rooting out”

“Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. I consulted: Heb. my heart consulted in me”

“And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.”

“Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?”

“Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.”

“Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.”

“For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.”

“Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:”

“And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.”

“He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. no: or, he trusteth not his own life”

“They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. are gone: Heb. are not taken: Heb. closed up”

“By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.”

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.”

“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”

“LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: prepare: or, establish”

“To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. oppress: or, terrify”

“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. puffeth: or, would ensnare him”

“The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. men: Heb. of the sons of the men”

“Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”

“To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Altaschith: or, Destroy not, A golden Psalm of David”

“Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.”

“A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. for: or, of”

“He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.”