Quotes About Responsibility

“You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw.

No straw has been given to your servants, yet we are told, ëMake bricks!í Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.

The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening.

When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”

But Mosesí father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.

Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.

Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.

“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:

If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.

If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.

If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.

If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.

However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.

If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the womanís husband demands and as the court allows.

If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.

And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.