Bible Verses About Magistrates

Then came two harlots vnto the King, and stoode before him.

And the one woman sayd, Oh my lorde, I and this woman dwell in one house, and I was deliuered of a childe with her in the house.

And the third day after that I was deliuered, this woman was deliuered also: and we were in the house together: no stranger was with vs in the house, saue we twaine.

And this womans sonne died in the night: for she ouerlay him.

And she rose at midnight, and tooke my sonne from my side, while thine handmaide slept, and layde him in her bosome, and layde her dead sonne in my bosome.

And when I rose in the morning to giue my sonne sucke, beholde, he was dead: and when I had well considered him in the morning, beholde, it was not my sonne, whom I had borne.

Then the other woman sayd, Nay, but my sonne liueth, and thy sonne is dead. Againe she sayde, No, but thy sonne is dead, and mine aliue: thus they spake before the King.

Then sayde the King, She sayth, This that liueth is my sonne, and the dead is thy sonne: and the other sayth, Nay, but the dead is thy sonne, and the liuing is my sonne.

Then the King said, Bring me a sworde: and they brought out a sworde before the King.

And the King sayde, Deuide ye the liuing child in twaine, and giue the one halfe to the one, and the other halfe to the other.

Then spake the woman, whose the liuing child was, vnto the King, for her compassion was kindled toward her sonne, and she sayde, Oh my lorde, giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: but the other sayde, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but deuide it.

Then the King answered, and sayde, Giue her the liuing childe, and slay him not: this is his mother.

And all Israel heard the iudgement, which the King had iudged, and they feared the King: for they sawe that the wisedome of God was in him to doe iustice.

Whiles Ezra prayed thus, and confessed himselfe weeping, and falling downe before the house of God, there assembled vnto him of Israel a very great Congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept with a great lamentation.

Then Shechaniah the sonne of Iehiel one of the sonnes of Elam answered, and sayd to Ezra, We haue trespassed against our God, and haue taken strange wiues of the people of the land, yet nowe there is hope in Israel concerning this.

Now therfore let vs make a couenant with our God, to put away all the wiues (and such as are borne of them) according to the counsell of the Lord, and of those that feare the commandements of our God, and let it be done according to the Lawe.

Arise: for the matter belogeth vnto thee: we also wil be with thee: be of comfort and do it.

Then arose Ezra, and caused the chiefe Priestes, the Leuites, and all Israel, to sweare that they would doe according to this worde. So they sware.

And Ezra rose vp from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Iohanan the sonne of Eliashib: he went euen thither, but he did eate neither bread, nor drunke water: for he mourned, because of the transgression of them of the captiuitie.

And they caused a proclamation to goe throughout Iudah and Ierusalem, vnto all them of the captiuitie, that they should assemble themselues vnto Ierusalem.

And whosoeuer woulde not come within three dayes according to the counsel of the Princes and Elders, all his substance should be forfait, and he should be separate from the Congregation of them of the captiuitie.

Then all the men of Iudah and Beniamin assembled theselues vnto Ierusalem within three dayes, which was the twentieth day of the ninth moneth, and all the people sate in the streete of the house of God, trembling for this matter, and for the raine.