[If] he declared to him, “My father is acceptable to me,” [or] “Your father is acceptable to me,” [or] “Three cattle herders are acceptable to me” —- R’ Meir says: He can retract. But the Sages say: He cannot retract. [If] he was under an obligation of oath to another, and he said, “Vow to me by the life of your head,” R’ Meir says: He can retract. The Sages, however, say: He cannot retract.

These are the ones who are disqualified: one who plays dice, one who lends on interest, pigeon-flyers, and shevi-is-merchants. Said R’ Shimon: Originally they called them sheviis-stockpilers. When the oppressors increased they changed to calling them sheviis-merchants. Said R’ Yehudah: When? When they have no other trade, but if they have another trade, they are qualified.

These are the [ineligible] relatives: His father and brother, his father’s brother and mother’s brothers, his sister’s husband, father’s sister’s husband and mother’s sister’s husband, his mother’s husband, his father-in-law, and his brother-in-law; they, their sons, and their sons-in-law; and his stepson alone. Said R’ Yose: This is the mishnah of R’ Akiva, but the original mishnah [stated]: His uncle and his uncle’s son and all who are eligible to inherit him.  [This applies to] all who were re-lated at that time. [If] he was related and then became unrelated, he is eligible. R’ Yehudah says: Even if his daughter died and he has children from her, he is a relative.

A friend and an enemy: “a friend” is one’s groomsman; “an enemy” is one who did not speak to him for three days out of enmity. They said to him: The Jewish people are not suspected of this.

How do they examine the witnesses? They bring them in and admonish them. They then send everyone out and retain the most prominent of them, and they say to him, “State how you know that this one owes that one.” If he said, “He told me, `I owe him,’ [or] `so-and-so told me that he owes him,’ ” he has said nothing, until he says, “He admitted to him before us that he owes him two hundred zuz.” Afterward, they bring in the second one and examine him. If their words are found to coin-cide they take up the matter. [If] two vote: not liable, and one votes: liable —- he is not liable. [If] two vote: liable, and one votes: not liable —- he is liable. [If] one votes: not liable, and one votes: liable, or even [if] two exonerate or two obligate and one says, “I do not know” —- they add more judges.

When they conclude the matter, they bring them in. The head judge says: “So-and-so, you are not liable”; [or] “so-and-so, you are liable.”  From where [do we know] that when one of the judges leaves [the court] he should not say, “I exon-erated and my colleagues obligated; but what could I do since my colleagues outnumbered me?” Concerning this it is stated: You shall not go about among your people bearing tales. And it is stated: One who bears tales reveals secrets.

Whenever he brings proof, he can overturn the verdict. [If] they said to him: Produce any proofs you have within thirty days —- [if] he finds [evidence] within thirty days he can overturn [the verdict]; after thirty days he cannot overturn [it]. Said Rab-ban Shimon ben Gamliel: What should this [man] do if he could not find [evidence] within thirty days, but found after thirty [days]? [If] they said to him: Bring witnesses, and he said: I have no witnesses; [or] they said: Bring evi- dence, and he said: I have no evidence; and subsequently he brought evidence or witnesses, it is nothing. Said Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel: What should this [man] do if he did not know [at the time] that he had witnesses and he [later] discovered witnesses; [or] if he did not know [at the time] that he had evidence and he [later] discovered evidence? [If] they said to him: Bring witnesses, and he said: I have no witnesses; Bring proof, and he said: I have no proof; and [when] he saw that he was about to be judged liable he said, “Let so-and-so and so-and-so approach and testify for me,” or he took out evidence from his belt, it is nothing.

Both civil cases and capital cases require inquiry and examination, as it is stated: One judgment you shall have for yourselves. What is the difference between civil cases and capital cases? Civil cases are [tried] by three; capital cases by twenty-three. Civil cases open [with the consideration] of either acquittal or liability; capital cases must open [with the consideration] of acquittal, not guilt. Civil cases are decided by a majority of one, whether for acquittal or liability; capital cases are decided by a majority of one for acquittal but by a majority of two for guilt. Civil decisions may be reversed in favor of acquittal or liabil-ity; capital decisions may be reversed [only] in favor of acquittal but not in favor of guilt. [In] civil cases, anyone may argue either for acquittal or liability; [in] capital cases, anyone may argue for acquittal but not everyone may argue for guilt. [In] civil cases, one who argued for acquittal may argue for liability, and one who argued for liability may argue for acquittal; [in] capital cases, one who argued for guilt may argue for acquittal, but one who argued for acquittal may not argue for guilt. Civil cases are tried by day and may be concluded by night; capital cases must be tried by day and concluded by day. Civil cases may be concluded on that day, whether for acquittal or liability; capital cases may be concluded on that day for acquittal but only on the following day for guilt. Therefore, trials are not held on Friday or on the day before a Festival.

[In judging] cases of tumah and taharah, they begin from the most eminent; [in] capital cases they begin from the side.  All are eligible to judge civil cases, but not all are eligible to judge capital cases —- only Kohanim, Leviim, and Yisraelim who are eligible to have [their daughters] marry Kohanim.

The Sanhedrin was [seated] in the shape of a semi-circular threshing floor so that they should see one another. Two judicial scribes stand before them, one to the right and one to the left, and they record the words of those who defend and those who convict. R’ Yehudah says: Three: One records the words of those who defend; one records the words of those who convict; and the third records the words [both] of those who defend and those who convict.