Exodus 18:13–26

¹³And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that Moses sitteth to judge the people, and the people stand before Moses, from the morning unto the evening; ¹⁴and the father-in-law of Moses seeth all that he is doing to the people, and saith, ‘What is this thing which thou art doing to the people? wherefore art thou sitting by thyself, and all the people standing by thee from morning till evening?’ ¹⁵And Moses saith to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come unto me to seek God; ¹⁶when they have a matter, it hath come unto me, and I have judged between a man and his neighbour, and made known the statutes of God, and His laws.’ ¹⁷And the father-in-law of Moses saith unto him, ‘The thing which thou art doing is not good; ¹⁸thou dost surely wear away, both thou, and this people which is with thee, for the thing is too heavy for thee, thou art not able to do it by thyself.

¹⁹‘Now, hearken to my voice, I counsel thee, and God is with thee: be thou for the people over-against God, and thou hast brought in the things unto God; ²⁰and thou hast warned them concerning the statutes and the laws, and hast made known to them the way in which they go, and the work which they do.

²¹‘And thou—thou dost provide out of all the people men of ability, fearing God, men of truth, hating dishonest gain, and hast placed these over them, heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens, ²²and they have judged the people at all times; and it hath come to pass, every great matter they bring in unto thee, and every small matter they judge themselves; and lighten it from off thyself, and they have borne with thee. ²³If thou dost this thing, and God hath commanded thee, then thou hast been able to stand, and all this people also goeth in unto its place in peace.’ ²⁴And Moses hearkeneth to the voice of his father-in-law, and doth all that he said, ²⁵and Moses chooseth men of ability out of all Israel, and maketh them chiefs over the people, heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens, ²⁶and they have judged the people at all times; the hard matter they bring in unto Moses, and every small matter they judge themselves.