Exodus 18
1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt.
Yitro, mertua Musa, imam di Midian, mendengar tentang segala sesuatu yang dikerjakan Allah untuk Musa dan bangsa Israel, pada waktu ia memimpin mereka keluar dari Mesir.
2 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
Maka pergilah Yitro mengunjungi Musa, membawa Zipora, istri Musa yang masih tinggal di Midian,
3 and her two sons, of whom the name of the one was Gershom, for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.
bersama Gersom dan Eliezer, kedua anaknya laki-laki. Anak yang pertama dinamakan Gersom karena Musa berkata, "Aku seorang pendatang di negeri asing";
4 And the name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
anak yang kedua dinamakan Eliezer karena Musa berkata, "Allah pujaan nenek moyangku telah menolong dan menyelamatkan aku sehingga aku tidak dibunuh oleh raja Mesir".
5 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God.
Yitro datang bersama istri Musa dan kedua anaknya ke padang gurun tempat Musa berkemah dekat gunung suci.
6 And he said to Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, have come to thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
Musa diberi kabar bahwa mereka datang,
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.
maka keluarlah ia menyambut mereka. Ia sujud di depan Yitro dan menciumnya. Mereka saling menanyakan kesehatan masing-masing, lalu masuk ke dalam kemah Musa.
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 travail that had come upon them by the way, and how Jehovah delivered them.
Musa menceritakan kepada mertuanya segala sesuatu yang diperbuat TUHAN terhadap raja dan bangsa Mesir untuk menyelamatkan orang Israel. Ia juga menceritakan kepadanya tentang kesulitan-kesulitan yang dihadapi bangsa Israel di tengah jalan, dan bagaimana TUHAN menyelamatkan mereka.
9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
Mendengar semua itu, Yitro merasa gembira
10 And Jethro said, Blessed be Jehovah, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
dan berkata, "Terpujilah TUHAN yang menyelamatkan kamu dari tangan raja dan bangsa Mesir! Terpujilah TUHAN yang membebaskan bangsa Israel dari perbudakan!
11 Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods, yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.
Sekarang saya tahu bahwa TUHAN lebih besar dari semua ilah, karena semua itu dilakukan-Nya ketika orang Mesir bertindak dengan amat sombong terhadap orang Israel."
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.
Kemudian Yitro membawa beberapa kurban bakaran dan kurban sembelihan sebagai persembahan kepada Allah. Harun dan semua pemimpin bangsa Israel datang dan makan bersama-sama dengan Yitro dalam kehadiran Allah.
13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning to the evening.
Keesokan harinya Musa mengadili perselisihan-perselisihan antara orang-orang Israel. Pekerjaan itu makan waktu dari pagi sampai malam.
14 And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou do to the people? Why do thou sit by thyself, and all the people stand about thee from morning to evening?
Ketika Yitro melihat semua yang harus dikerjakan Musa, ia bertanya, "Apa saja yang harus kaukerjakan untuk bangsa ini? Haruskah semua ini kaukerjakan sendirian, sehingga untuk minta nasihatmu saja, orang-orang itu mesti berdiri di sini dari pagi sampai malam?"
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
Jawab Musa, "Orang-orang itu datang kepada saya untuk mengetahui kehendak Allah.
16 When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor. And I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
Kalau mereka berselisih, mereka menghadap saya supaya memutuskan perkara mereka, dan saya sampaikan kepada mereka perintah-perintah dan hukum-hukum Allah."
17 And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou do is not good.
Kata Yitro, "Tidak baik begitu.
18 Thou will surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee, for the thing is too heavy for thee. Thou are not able to perform it thyself alone.
Dengan cara itu engkau melelahkan dirimu sendiri, dan juga orang-orang itu. Pekerjaan itu terlalu banyak untuk satu orang.
19 Hearken now to my voice. I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee. Be thou for the people toward God, and bring thou the cases to God.
Dengarlah nasihat saya, dan Allah akan menolongmu. Memang baik engkau mewakili bangsa ini di hadapan Allah dan membawa persoalan mereka kepada-Nya.
20 And thou shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Engkau harus mengajarkan kepada mereka perintah-perintah Allah dan menerangkan cara hidup yang baik dan apa yang harus mereka lakukan.
21 Moreover thou shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain, and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens,
Tetapi di samping itu engkau harus memilih beberapa orang laki-laki yang bijaksana, dan menunjuk mereka menjadi pemimpin atas seribu orang, seratus orang, lima puluh orang, dan sepuluh orang. Mereka hendaknya orang-orang yang takut dan taat kepada Allah, dapat dipercaya dan tak mau menerima uang suap.
22 and let them judge the people at all seasons. And it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring to thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
Suruhlah mereka bertindak sebagai hakim bangsa ini, masing-masing bagi kelompoknya. Tugas itu harus mereka lakukan secara teratur. Perkara-perkara yang penting boleh mereka ajukan kepadamu, tetapi perselisihan yang kecil-kecil dapat mereka bereskan sendiri. Hal itu akan meringankan engkau karena mereka ikut bertanggung jawab.
23 If thou shall do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shall be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace.
Jika engkau berbuat begitu, dan hal itu diperintahkan Allah kepadamu, engkau akan mampu melakukan tugasmu, dan semua orang akan pulang dengan puas karena persoalan mereka cepat dibereskan."
24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
Musa mengikuti nasihat Yitro,
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,
dan memilih orang-orang yang bijaksana di antara bangsa Israel. Ia menunjuk mereka menjadi pemimpin atas seribu orang, seratus orang, lima puluh orang, dan sepuluh orang.
26 and they judged the people at all seasons. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Mereka menjalankan tugasnya sebagai hakim-hakim atas bangsa Israel. Perkara-perkara penting mereka ajukan kepada Musa, sedangkan perselisihan kecil-kecil mereka bereskan sendiri.
27 And Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.
Kemudian Musa melepas Yitro pergi dan pulanglah Yitro ke negerinya.
