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;
- 2
- Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses'
wife, after he had sent her back,
- 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:
- 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:
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 11
- Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for
in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- 15
- And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the
people come unto me to enquire of God:
- 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.
- 17
- And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that
thou doest is not good.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 24
- So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law,
and did all that he had said.
- 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.
- 26
- And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard
causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged
themselves.
- 27
- And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his
way into his own land.
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