Exodus 18:1–12

Jethro’s Advice

18^mJethro, ⁿthe 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 home, ³along with her ^otwo sons. The name of the one was Gershom (^pfor he said, ^q“I have been a sojourner¹ in a foreign land”), ⁴and the name of the other, Eliezer² (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). ⁵Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the ^rmountain of God. ⁶And when he sent word to Moses, “I,³ your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” ⁷Moses ^swent out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and ^tkissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. ⁸Then Moses told his father-in-law ^uall 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 that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰Jethro said, ^v“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that ^wthe Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they ^xdealt arrogantly with the people.”^{4 12}And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law ^ybefore God.