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.