Exodus
18:1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all
that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the
LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
18:2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he
had sent her back,
18:3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said,
I have been an alien in a strange land:
18:4 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said
he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:
18:5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto
Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:
18:6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee,
and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
18:7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and
kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came
into the tent.
18:8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh
and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had
come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
18:9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to
Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
18:10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the
hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath
delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing
wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.
18:12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices
for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with
Moses' father in law before God.
18:13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people:
and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
18:14 And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he
said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou
thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
18:15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me
to enquire of God:
18:16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and
another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
18:17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not
good.
18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with
thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform
it thyself alone.
18:19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be
with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring
the causes unto God:
18:20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the
way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear
God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be
rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and
rulers of tens:
18:22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that
every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter
they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear
the burden with thee.
18:23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be
able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in
peace.
18:24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that
he had said.
18:25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the
people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and
rulers of tens.
18:26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought
unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
18:27 And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own
land.
