Bible Verses About Rulers

Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.”

Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.

And now, may the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.

And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them.

If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them

and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.

So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?

Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments and warnings that You gave them.

For even while they were in their kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and in the spacious and fertile land that You had set before them, they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.

So here we are today as slaves in the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness— here we are as slaves!

Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.

Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life.

They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.

Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.

Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,

to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed, that the men of the earth may strike terror no more.

“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

The wicked wander freely, and vileness is exalted among men.

A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.