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.
