Shoftim (meaning "judges") contains a great deal of legal material. It begins with the command to appoint judges and officials to govern the tribes. The first paragraph contains the famous imperative, "Tzedek, tzedek tirdof; Justice, justice you shall pursue." This became a fundamental Jewish value. Chapter 17 focuses on anti-Canaanite/idolatrous practices. Anyone guilty of worshiping other gods was to be stoned to death. Verse 6 emphasizes that there must be two witnesses for a person to be put to death. The chapter continues with rules about judging cases and ends with requiring a king to study and faithfully follow the rules of Torah. Chapter 18 designates the priests' portion of both sacrifices and first fruits. We are commanded not to use sorcery or magic. We are warned against following false prophets.

Chapter 19, again describing the rules about the Cities of Refuge, gives examples of unintentional manslaughter (as opposed to murder). The chapter ends by noting that there must be two witnesses in any case; any witness who purposely gives false testimony will be punished with whatever punishment the accused would have received. Chapter 20 describes the preparations for war: The priest addresses the troops. The officials then remove from the troops anyone who has built a new house but not dedicated it; anyone who has planted a vineyard but never harvested it; anyone who has become engaged but never gotten a chance to marry the woman; and anyone who is afraid. The laws of war are described. Trees are to be protected even during sieges. Chapter 21 describes the law of the unknown corpse. If a person is found in a field between two towns, the nearest town must take responsibility for the person's death. Representatives must atone for the death by killing a heifer and washing their hands over the dead animal. They must declare that they had no knowledge of the events leading to the person's death.