Exodus 18

And Jethro, the priest of Midian, father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people; that God brought Israel out from Egypt. \*

And Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah, wife of Moses, after he had sent her back,

and her two sons; one of whose names was Gershom, for he had said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

And the name of the other was Eliezer, for “The God of my father was my helper. And he rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.” \*

And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came, and his sons and his wife, to Moses, to the wilderness where he was camping, at the mountain of God.

And he said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, and your wife, and her two sons with her.” \*

And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him. And they asked, each man his friend, of their welfare, and they went into the tent.

And Moses related to his father-in-law all that God had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt on account of Israel, all the hardship that found them along the way, and of God rescuing them. \*

And Jethro rejoiced over all the good that God had done for Israel, whom he rescued from the hand of Egypt.

And Jethro said, “Bless God, who rescued you out of the hand of Egypt and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who rescued the people from under the hand of Egypt.

Now I know that God is greater than all the gods, because of the affair {in} which they acted proudly against them.” \*

And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron came, and all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread before the face of God with the father-in-law of Moses. \*

And so it happened the next day that Moses sat down to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.

And the father-in-law of Moses was watching all that he did for the people, and he said, “What is this thing that you are doing with the people? For what purpose do you sit alone, and all the people position themselves next to you from morning until evening?” \*

And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

When a situation comes up among them, someone comes to me. And I judge between a man and his associate, and I help them understand the statutes of God and his laws.” \*

And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, “The thing which you are doing is not good.

You will certainly wear yourself out, both you and also these people who are with you, because the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. \*

Now, listen to my voice. I will advise you, and God will be with you. You be before God for the people, and you should bring their disputes to God yourself.

And you should teach them the statutes and the laws. And you should cause them to know the way they should walk in and the work that they should do. \*

And you yourself should search out from all of the people men of ability, fearers of God, men of faithfulness, haters of dishonest profit. And you should appoint over them: leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.

And they will judge the people at all times. And so it will be, every great situation they will bring to you, and every small situation they will judge themselves. And you must lighten {this thing} from on you! And they will carry alongside you.

If you do this thing, and God instructs you, then you will be able to endure, and furthermore, all of this people will go to its place in peace.” \*

And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did everything that he had said.

And Moses chose men of ability from all Israel, and he appointed them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens.

And they judged the people at all times. They brought the difficult situations to Moses, and they judged each small situation themselves. \*

And Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went into his own land. \*