Far be it from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. Far be it from you. Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Masters, y’all are to treat them the same way without threatening them because y’all know that he who is both their Master and yours* is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.
As for the respected ones—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God isn’t taken by the faces of humans—the respected ones imparted nothing to me.
They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and that you teach the way of God in truth. You are not concerned about anyone because you don’t focus on the face of humans.
Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe. The powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul. Thus they conspire together.
He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people, but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, then sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever doesn’t come out after Saul and after Samuel, this is what will be done to his oxen.” The dread of YHWH fell on the people, and they came out as one.