Exodus 18:1–27

Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law

¹Now ^aJethro, 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.

²Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife ^aZipporah, after he had sent her away,

³and her ^atwo sons, of whom ¹one was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been ^ba ²sojourner in a foreign land.”

⁴¹The other was named ^2aEliezer, for he said, “^bThe God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses ¹in the wilderness where he was camped, at ^athe mount of God.

⁶He ¹sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”

⁷Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and ^ahe bowed down and ^bkissed him; and they ^casked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.

⁸Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians ^afor Israel’s sake, all the ^bhardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how ^cthe Lord had delivered them.

⁹Jethro rejoiced over all ^athe goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, ¹in delivering ²them from the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰So Jethro said, “^aBlessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

¹¹“Now I know that ^athe Lord is greater than all the gods; ¹indeed, ^bit was proven when they dealt proudly against ²the people.”

^12aThen Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat ¹a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

¹³It came about the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening.

¹⁴Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?”

¹⁵Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me ^ato inquire of God.

¹⁶“When they have a ^1adispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

Jethro Counsels Moses

¹⁷Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good.

¹⁸“^aYou will surely wear out, both yourself and ¹these people who are with you, for the ²task is too heavy for you; ^byou cannot do it alone.

¹⁹“Now listen to ¹me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. ²You be the people’s representative before God, and you ^abring the ³disputes to God,

^20athen teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them ^bthe way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do.

²¹“Furthermore, you shall ¹select out of all the people ^aable men ^bwho fear God, men of truth, those who ^chate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, ²of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.

²²“Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be ^athat every major ¹dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and ^bthey will bear the burden with you.

²³“If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to ¹endure, and all ²these people also will go to ³their place in peace.”

²⁴So Moses listened ¹to his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

²⁵Moses chose ^aable men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, ¹of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.

²⁶They judged the people at all times; ^athe difficult ¹dispute they would bring to Moses, but every minor dispute they themselves would judge.

²⁷Then Moses ^1abade his father-in-law farewell, and he went his way into his own land.