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Jethro,
Moses' Father-in-law |
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| Exodus 18:1 |
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Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law,
heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the LORD
had brought Israel out of Egypt. |
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| Exodus 18:2 |
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Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife
Zipporah, after he had sent her away, |
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| Exodus 18:3 |
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and her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom,
for Moses said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land." |
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| Exodus 18:4 |
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The other was named Eliezer, for he said, "The
God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh." |
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| Exodus 18:5 |
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Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with
his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the mount
of God. |
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| Exodus 18:6 |
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He sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law
Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her." |
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| Exodus 18:7 |
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Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law,
and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare and
went into the tent. |
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| Exodus 18:8 |
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Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD
had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that
had befallen them on the journey, and how the LORD had delivered them. |
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| Exodus 18:9 |
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Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which
the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.
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| Exodus 18:10 |
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So Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD who delivered
you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered
the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. |
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| Exodus 18:11 |
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"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all
the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people." |
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| Exodus 18:12 |
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Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt
offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel
to eat a meal with Moses' father-in-law before God. |
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| Exodus 18:13 |
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It came about the next day that Moses sat to
judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the
evening. |
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| Exodus 18:14 |
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Now when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he
was doing for the people, he said, "What is this thing that you are doing for
the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from
morning until evening?" |
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| Exodus 18:15 |
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Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the
people come to me to inquire of God. |
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| Exodus 18:16 |
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"When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and
I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and
His laws." |
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Jethro
Counsels Moses |
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| Exodus 18:17 |
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Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing
that you are doing is not good. |
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| Exodus 18:18 |
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"You will surely wear out, both yourself and
these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do
it alone. |
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| Exodus 18:19 |
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"Now listen to me: I will give you counsel,
and God be with you. You be the people's representative before God, and you bring
the disputes to God, |
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| Exodus 18:20 |
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then teach them the statutes and the laws, and
make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to
do. |
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| Exodus 18:21 |
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"Furthermore, you shall select out of all the
people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and
you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties
and of tens. |
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| Exodus 18:22 |
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"Let them judge the people at all times; and
let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute
they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the
burden with you. |
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| Exodus 18:23 |
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"If you do this thing and God so commands you,
then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place
in peace." |
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| Exodus 18:24 |
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So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did
all that he had said. |
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| Exodus 18:25 |
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Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made
them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and
of tens. |
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| Exodus 18:26 |
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They judged the people at all times; the difficult
dispute they would bring to Moses, but every minor dispute they themselves would
judge. |
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| Exodus 18:27 |
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Then Moses bade his father-in-law farewell,
and he went his way into his own land. |
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