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Chapter 9ViaRegia.1.9

De justitia

The King's Mandate for Justice

The king is commanded by God to uphold justice and protect the vulnerable, with the promise of divine favor and eternal honor.

Jeremiah testifies that it's a king's duty to do justice and judgment, saying: The Lord commanded, 'Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak this word there: Hear the word of the Lord, king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David—you, your servants, and your people who enter through these gates.'✦ This is what the Lord says: 'Do judgment and justice, and rescue the one oppressed by force from the hand of the oppressor; don't grieve the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow, and don't oppress them unjustly; and don't shed innocent blood in this place.'✦1 For if you truly do this, kings of David's line will enter through the gates of this house, sitting on his throne, and riding in chariots and on horses—they themselves, their servants, and their people.✦2 But if you won't hear these words—I have sworn by myself, says the Lord—this house will become a desolation.✦ So love justice, king, if you want to enjoy everlasting life, if you want to be honored by her forever. For it is written: 'If you follow justice, you will take hold of her, put her on like a robe of honor, and dwell with her; she will protect you forever, and on the day of recognition, you will find a firm support.'3

Imitating the Heavenly King

A king must imitate the justice of God in his own governance, following the path of righteousness to ensure dynastic stability and divine blessing.

So then, since you're a king on earth, love judgment and justice, so that you may be a son of the King in heaven. In your actions, imitate the Father you claim with your words. Love justice and work in it, because your heavenly Father loves it and works in it. For he himself says through Jeremiah: "I am the Lord who does mercy and judgment and justice on the earth; for these please me," says the Lord. You ought to imitate with all your strength the One with whom you hope to live forever. For this is how the Lord speaks through the prophet Ezekiel: "If a man is just and does judgment and justice; if he does not eat on the mountains and does not lift his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel; if he does not violate his neighbor's wife and does not approach a woman in her impurity; if he does not wrong a person; if he returns the pledge to the debtor; if he covers the naked with a garment; if he gives his bread to the hungry; if he seizes nothing by force; if he does not lend at interest and does not take more; if he turns his face away from iniquity and does true judgment between one person and another; if he walks in my precepts and keeps my judgments so as to do the truth—this man is just; he shall live," says the Lord.4 So love justice and judgment, King—this is the royal road, worn of old by the kings who came before you.5 Through it a good desire will be given to the just; through it the just will be set free from distress; through it their offspring will be established forever; through it their house will receive great strength.

The Rewards and Temperance of Justice

The practice of justice brings eternal rewards and security, provided it is tempered with mercy to avoid the pitfalls of cruelty.

By holding to it, the just will be remembered with praise; by following it, the holy will be loved by God; by keeping it, they will be raised up by him; by observing it, they will be honored by him; by trusting in it, they will be without fear, like a lion.✦ Those who labor in it will gain an everlasting blessing; those who work with it will receive an eternal reward; as it is written: The gift of God remains for the just, and his blessing hastens to their reward.6 This is the royal road: walk it, king, and you'll soon reach the everlasting kingdoms. But temper justice, and carefully beware the left-hand path of cruelty.7 For justice, when tempered, holds the royal road.8 But if it isn't carefully tempered, it quickly slides into cruelty.

Read the original Latin

Quod regale sit officium facere justitiam et judicium, Jeremias testatur, ubi: Et praecepit Dominus, dicens: Descende in domum regis Juda, et loqueris ibi verbum hoc, et dices: Audi verbum Domini, rex Juda, qui sedes super solium David: tu et servi tui, et populus tuus, qui ingredimini per portas istas. Haec dicit Dominus: Facite judicium et justitiam, et liberate vi oppressum de mana calumniatoris, et advenam, et pupillum, et viduam nolite contristari, neque opprimatis inique: et sanguinem innocentem ne effundatis in loco isto. Si enim facientes feceritis verbum istud, ingredientur per portas domus hujus reges sedentes de gente David, super thronum ejus, et ascendentes currus et equos, ipsi et servi, et populus eorum. Quod si non audieritis verba haec; in memetipso juravi, dicit Dominus, quia in solitudinem erit domus haec. Dilige ergo justitiam, rex, si vis perpetua frui vita, si vis honorari in perpetuo ab ea. Scriptum est enim: Si sequeris justitiam, apprehendes illam, et indues quasi poderem honoris, et inhabitabis cum ea, et proteget te in sempiternum, et in die agnitionis invenies firmamentum.

Tu ergo cum sis rex in terra, ut sis filius Regis in coelo, dilige judicium et justitiam. Imitare operibus quem Patrem clamas sermonibus. Dilige justitiam et operare in ea; quia Pater tuus coelestis diligit et operatur in ea. Ipse enim ait per Jeremiam: Ego sum Dominus qui facio misericordiam et judicium et justitiam in terra: haec enim placent mihi, ait Dominus. Totis viribus tuis debes imitari illum, cum quo speras vivere in aeternum. Sic enim Dominus per prophetam Ezechielem ait: Vir si fuerit justus, et fecerit judicium et justitiam, in montibus non comederit, et oculos suos non levaverit ad idola domus Israel: et uxorem proximi sui non violaverit, et ad mulierem menstrualem non accesserit; et hominem non contristaverit; pignus debitori reddiderit; et nudum operuerit vestimento: panem suum esurienti dederit; per vim nihil rapuerit; ad usuram non commodaverit, et amplius non acceperit; ab iniquitate averterit faciem suam, et judicium verum fecerit inter virum et virum, in praeceptis meis ambulaverit, et judicia mea custodierit ut faciat veritatem, hic justus est, vita vivet, ait Dominus. Dilige ergo, rex, justitiam et judicium, quae est via regia, et a prioribus regibus antiquitus trita. Per eam desiderium bonum justis dabitur; per eam de angustia justi liberabuntur; per eam semen eorum in aeternum fundabitur; per illam domus eorum plurimam accipiet fortitudinem.

Illam tenendo erit memoria justis cum laudibus; illam sequendo sancti diligentur a Deo; illam custodiendo exaltabuntur ab eo; illam observando honorificabuntur ab eo; in illa fidendo absque terrore erunt quasi leo. Laborantes in ea benedictionem consequentur aeternam; operantes cum illa mercedem accipient sempiternam; sicut scriptum est: Datio Dei permanet justis, et benedictio ejus in mercedem ejus festinat. Haec est via regia, per quam, rex, gradiens cito pervenies ad perpetua regna. Sed tempera justitiam, et crudelitatis sollicite cave sinistram. Temperata etenim justia regiam tenet viam. Quod si caute non temperetur, in crudelitatem cito dilabitur.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Jer.22.1-Jer.22.2 — Thus says the LORD: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word. Jer.22.2 — You shall say: Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David — you, your servants, and your people who enter these gates.
  2. ↩Jer.22.3 — Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the robbed from the hand of the oppressor. And do not wrong or do violence to the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
  3. ↩Jer.22.4 — For if you indeed do this thing, then kings shall enter through the gates of this house, sitting on David's throne, riding in chariots and on horses—he, and his servants, and his people.
  4. ↩Jer.22.5 — But if you do not listen to these words, I myself have sworn — declares the LORD — that this house will become a ruin.
  5. ↩Prov.28.1 — The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source reads mana; sense taken as manu ('hand'), the expected Vulgate reading in this Jeremiah verse (de manu calumniatoris).
  2. 2 ↩facientes feceritis is a Hebraizing intensive (do by doing / truly do); rendered as 'truly do' rather than a stiff double-verb construction.
  3. 3 ↩poderem (poderis) is the long ceremonial robe; rendered 'robe of honor' for modern clarity. die agnitionis may mean the day of recognition, acknowledgment, or testing; 'day of recognition' keeps the Latin range open.
  4. 4 ↩"in montibus non comederit" rendered as not eating on the mountains (high-place sacrificial meals). "ad mulierem menstrualem non accesserit" kept as ritual purity language ("woman in her impurity"). "vita vivet" rendered as emphatic "he shall live."
  5. 5 ↩"quae est via regia" is singular; justice and judgment are treated as one royal path. "trita" = worn/trodden smooth by long use.
  6. 6 ↩mercedem ejus: ejus may point to the just person (his/her reward) or, less naturally, to God's gift; rendered as the just person's reward.
  7. 7 ↩crudelitatis... sinistram uses medieval via-regia imagery: the leftward (sinister) deviation from the middle way is cruelty; justice must be moderated so it does not harden into harshness.
  8. 8 ↩Source orthography justia for justitia; sense is clearly justice.

Via Regia (The Royal Road) companion

Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat

Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.

Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.

  • A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
  • One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
  • Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit
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