(R. Yehuda ben Lakish): If two people came before a judge, one was gentle and one was tough, before he has heard their words he may refuse to judge them, as he might need to rule against the tough one who will then become his enemy. Once he has heard their words, he may no longer refuse to judge them, as the pasuk says (Devarim 1:17), "Do not be afraid (taguru) of any man".

Question (R. Yehoshua ben Korcha): If a person was sitting with a judge and he saw a merit for the poor one and liability for the rich one, where is the source that he should not be silent?

Answer: The pasuk (ibid) says, "Do not taguru any man" (expounding that the root of the word is oger - storing up) - do not store up inside yourself (a valid claim) before any man.

The judges must know who they are judging and before Whom they are judging and the witnesses must know who they are testifying about and before Whom they are testifying - before the One who created the world, as the pasuk states (Devarim 19:17), "Then the two men between whom the dispute exists will stand before Hash-m"; and another pasuk states (Tehillim 82:1), "G-d (Elokim) stands in the congregation of G-d".

And similarly, Yehoshafat tells the judges (Divrei Hayamim 2:19:6), "See what you are doing, because you do not judge for man but for Hash-m". Can a human judge his Creator? Rather, Hash-m said, "I said that Reuven should have 100 dinars and Shimon should have nothing, and you are taking from one and giving to the other and I must follow the ruling" (even though it is, so to speak, against my will).

Beraisa (Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel): Judgement is with three judges and compromises are with two. Compromise is stronger than judgement as two who made a judgement can retract; but two who made a compromise cannot retract.