Exodus 18
18
CHAPTER 18
1And when Jethro, the priest of Midian, the ally, either father of the wife of Moses, had heard all things which God had done to Moses, and to Israel his people, for the Lord had led Israel out of the land of Egypt,
2Jethro took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, whom Moses had sent again,
3and his two sons, of which one was called Gershom, for the father at his birth said, I was a comeling in an alien land,
4forsooth the tother was called Eliezer, for Moses at his birth said, God of my father is mine helper, and he delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
5Therefore Jethro, ally of Moses, came, and the sons of Moses and his wife came to Moses, into desert, where Jethro set tents beside the hill of God;
6and he sent to Moses, and said, I Jethro, thine ally, come to thee, and thy wife, and thy two sons with her.
7And Moses went out into the coming of his ally, and worshipped or honoured, and kissed him, and they greeted themselves together with peaceable words. And when Jethro had entered into the tabernacle,
8Moses told to him all things which God had done to Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians, for Israel, and he told to him all the travail that befell to them in the way, of which the Lord had delivered them.
9And Jethro was glad on all the goods which the Lord had done to Israel, for he [had] delivered Israel from the hand of [the] Egyptians.
10And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, that delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians, and from the hand of Pharaoh, the which Lord delivered his people from the hand or power of Egypt;
11now I know that the Lord is great above all gods, for they did proudly against them.
12Therefore Jethro, ally of Moses, offered burnt sacrifices and offerings to God; and Aaron, and all the elder men of Israel, came to eat bread with Jethro before God.
13Forsooth in the tother day, Moses sat that he should deem the people, which stood nigh to Moses, from the morrowtide till to the eventide.
14And when his ally had seen this, that is, all things which he did in the people, he said, What is this that thou doest in the people? why sittest thou alone, and all the people abideth thee from the morrowtide till to eventide?
15To whom Moses answered, The people cometh to me, and asketh the sentence of God;
16and when any strife befalleth to them, they come to me, that I deem betwixt them, and show the command-ments of God, and his laws.
17And Jethro said, Thou doest a thing that is not good,
18thou art wasted with a fond [or folly] travail, both thou, and this people that is with thee; the work is above thy strengths, thou alone mayest not suffer it.
19But hear thou my words, and my counsels, and the Lord shall be with thee; be thou to the people in these things that pertain to God, that thou tell the things that be said to the people;
20and show to the people the ceremonies, and [the] customs of worshipping, and the way by which they owe to go, and the work which they owe to do.
21Forsooth purvey thou of all the people wise men, and dreading God, in which is truth, and which hate avarice; and ordain thou of them tribunes [or rulers upon thousands], and centurions [or rulers upon hundreds], and quinquagenaries [or rulers upon fifty], and deans [or rulers upon ten],
22which shall deem the people in all time; soothly whatever thing is greater, tell they to thee, and deem they only [the] lesser things, and be it easier to thee, when the burden is parted into other men.
23If thou shalt do this, thou shalt fulfill the commandment of God, and thou shalt be able to bear his com-mandments; and all this people shall turn again with peace to their places.
24And when these things were heard, Moses did all things which Jethro counselled.
25And when noble men of all Israel were chosen, Moses ordained them princes of the people, tribunes [or rulers upon thousands], and centurions [or rulers upon hundreds], and quin-quagenaries [or rulers upon fifty], and deans [or rulers upon ten],
26which deemed the people in all time; forsooth, whatever thing was harder, they told to Moses, and they deemed [the] easier things only.
27And Moses let go his ally, which turned again, and went into his land.
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Exodus 18: WBMS
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Wycliffe’s Bible with Modern Spelling ©2017
Wycliffe’s Apocrypha ©2013, 2015
Wycliffe’s Bible © 2012, 2015
Wycliffe’s New Testament ©2001, 2011
Wycliffe’s Old Testament ©2001, 2010