Exodus 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

1Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, 3#Acts 7.29. and her two sons, of whom the name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner#18.3 Heb ger in a foreign land”), 4and the name of the other, Eliezer#18.4 Heb Eli, my God, ezer, help (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6And when one told Moses, “Lo,#18.6 Sam Gk Syr: Heb I your father-in-law Jethro is coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare, and went into the tent. 8Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9And Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10And Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh. 11Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because he delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians,#18.11 Transposing the last clause of v. 10 to v. 11 when they dealt arrogantly with them.” 12And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, offered#18.12 Syr Tg Vg: Heb took a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

13On the morrow Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from morning till evening. 14When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand about you from morning till evening?” 15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God and his decisions.” 17Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18You and the people with you will wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone. 19Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God, and bring their cases to God; 20and you shall teach them the statutes and the decisions, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21Moreover choose able men from all the people, such as fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe; and place such men over the people as rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22And let them judge the people at all times; every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves; so it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

24So Moses gave heed to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own country.

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