Exodus 18:1–12

Jethro Visits Moses

18Now Jethro,^j the priest of Midian^k and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.^l

²After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,^m his father-in-law Jethro received her ³and her two sons.ⁿ One son was named Gershom,^a for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;^{o 4}and the other was named Eliezer,^bp for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;^q he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain^r of God. ⁶Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

⁷So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down^s and kissed^t him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. ⁸Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships^u they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved^v them.

⁹Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things^w the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰He said, “Praise be to the Lord,^x who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,^y for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”^{z 12}Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,^a brought a burnt offering^b and other sacrifices^c to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal^d with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence^e of God.