E.
A portrait of the kingdom
18:1-27
Exo. 18
:1
18:1
1Now 2aJethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt.
Exo. 18
:2
18:2
And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Moses’ wife
1Zipporah, after he had sent her away,
Exo. 18
:3
18:3
And her two
asons, of whom the name of one was
1Gershom, for
2Moses said, I have been a
bsojourner in a foreign land;
Exo. 18
:4
18:4
And the name of the other was
1Eliezer, for
he said, The God of my father was my help and
adelivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
Exo. 18
:5
18:5
So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped, at the
amount of God.
Exo. 18
:6
18:6
And he sent word to Moses: I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.
Exo. 18
:7
18:7
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him; and each asked the other’s welfare, and they came into the tent.
Exo. 18
:8
18:8
And Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and
how Jehovah delivered them.
Exo. 18
:9
18:9
And Jethro rejoiced for all the good which Jehovah had done to Israel, in that He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
Exo. 18
:10
18:10
And Jethro said,
aBlessed be Jehovah, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
Exo. 18
:11
18:11
Now I know that Jehovah is
agreater than all gods,
for it was demonstrated in this matter, when they dealt
bproudly against the
1people.
Exo. 18
:12
18:12
Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a
aburnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to
beat food with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
Exo. 18
:13
18:13
And on the following day
1Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.
Exo. 18
:14
18:14
And 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 sit by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?
Exo. 18
:15
18:15
Then Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
Exo. 18
:16
18:16
When they have
a dispute, the matter comes to me; and I
ajudge between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the
bstatutes of God and His laws.
Exo. 18
:17
18:17
And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, The thing that you are doing is not good.
Exo. 18
:18
18:18
You will surely wear yourself out, both you and this people who are with you, for the thing is too heavy for you; you cannot do it
aby yourself.
Exo. 18
:19
18:19
Listen now to my voice: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You
stand for the people before God, and you bring the
amatters to God.
Exo. 18
:20
18:20
And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they should
awalk and the work that they should do.
Exo. 18
:21
18:21
You also should look for
aable men among all the people who fear God, men of truth, who hate unjust gain; and place
them over them, as
1leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.
Exo. 18
:22
18:22
And let them
ajudge the people at all times; and let them
bbring every great matter to you, but every small matter let them judge themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will
cbear the burden with you.
Exo. 18
:23
18:23
If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.
Exo. 18
:24
18:24
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
Exo. 18
:25
18:25
And Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people: leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.
Exo. 18
:26
18:26
And they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Exo. 18
:27
18:27
And Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his
aown land.
