Exodus 18Book 2 of 66 · 27 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending
And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took in Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back.
along with her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land"
And the name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "The God of my father was my helper, and rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh."
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to visit Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God.
He sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her."
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him, and they asked each other how they had been, and they went into the tent.
Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had befallen them along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
Then Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
And Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they dealt arrogantly against the people, He was above them.
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses' father-in-law before God.
The next day Moses sat to hear the people's disputes, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.
So 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 around you from morning until evening?"
And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God and get a ruling.
When they have a dispute, they come to me, and I judge between one person and another, and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.
So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good."
Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out, for this task is too heavy for you; you are not able to do it alone.
Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: You be the people's representative before God, so that you may bring their disputes to God.
And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.
Moreover you shall select from all the people capable men, such as fear God, trustworthy men, hating dishonest gain; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Let them judge the people at all times, and let every major matter they shall bring to you, but every minor matter they themselves shall judge, so it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will also go home in peace.
So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did everything he had said.
And Moses chose capable men out of all Israel and made them leaders over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
So they judged the people at all times; the difficult cases they brought to Moses, but every minor matter they judged themselves.
Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.