EX-18:1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law,
heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his
people,
[and] that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
EX-18:2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses'
wife, after he had sent her back,
EX-18:3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one [was]
Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:
EX-18:4 And the name of the other [was] Eliezer; for the God of
my
father, [said he, was] mine help, and delivered me from the
sword of
Pharaoh:
EX-18:5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and
his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the
mount of God:
EX-18:6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am
come
unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
EX-18:7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did
obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of [their]
welfare; and they came into the tent.
EX-18:8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had
done
unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, [and] all
the
travail that had come upon them by the way, and [how] the LORD
delivered them.
EX-18:9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD
had
done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the
Egyptians.
EX-18:10 And Jethro said, Blessed [be] the LORD, who hath
delivered
you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of
Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the
Egyptians.
EX-18:11 Now I know that the LORD [is] greater than all gods:
for
in the thing wherein they dealt proudly [he was] above them.
EX-18:12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering
and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of
Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.
EX-18:13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to
judge
the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto
the
evening.
EX-18:14 And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to
the
people, he said, What [is] this thing that thou doest to the
people?
why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee
from morning unto even?
EX-18:15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the
people
come unto me to inquire of God:
EX-18:16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge
between one and another, and I do make [them] know the statutes
of
God, and his laws.
EX-18:17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that
thou doest [is] not good.
EX-18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people
that [is] with thee: for this thing [is] too heavy for thee; thou
art not able to perform it thyself alone.
EX-18:19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel,
and
God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that
thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
EX-18:20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and
shalt
show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they
must do.
EX-18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able
men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and
place
[such] over them, [to be] rulers of thousands, [and] rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
EX-18:22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it
shall
be, [that] every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but
every
small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself,
and they shall bear [the burden] with thee.
EX-18:23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee [so],
then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall
also go
to their place in peace.
EX-18:24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law,
and
did all that he had said.
EX-18:25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made
them
heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
EX-18:26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard
causes
they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged
themselves.
EX-18:27 And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his
way into his own land.
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