Exodus 18

1 And Jothor the priest of Madiam, the father-in-law of Moses, heard of all that the Lord did to his people Israel; for the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt.

And Jethro priest of Midian, father-in-law of Moses, hears all that God has done for Moses and for His people Israel, that YHWH has brought out Israel from Egypt,

2 And Jothor the father-in-law of Moses, took Sepphora the wife of Moses after she had been sent away,

and Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, takes Zipporah, wife of Moses, after her parting,

3 and her two sons: the name of the one was Gersam, [his father] saying, I was a sojourner in a strange land; —

and her two sons, of whom the name of one [is] Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a strange land”;

4 and the name of the second Eliezer, saying, For the God of my father [is] my helper, and he has rescued me out of the hand of Pharao.

and the name of the other [is] Eliezer, for, “The God of my father [is] for my help, and He delivers me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

5 And Jothor the father-in-law of Moses, and his sons and his wife, went forth to Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped on the mount of God.

And Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, comes, and his sons, and his wife, to Moses, to the wilderness where he is encamping—the mountain of God;

6 And it was told Moses, saying, Behold, your father-in-law Jothor is coming to you, and your wife and two sons with him.

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

7 And Moses went forth to meet his father-in-law, and did him reverence, and kissed him, and they embraced each other, and he brought them into the tent.

And Moses goes out to meet his father-in-law, and bows himself, and kisses him, and they ask of one another of welfare, and come into the tent;

8 And Moses related to his father-in-law all things that the Lord did to Pharao and all the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the labour that had befallen them in the way, and that the Lord had rescued them out of the hand of Pharao, and out of the hand of the Egyptians.

and Moses recounts to his father-in-law all that YHWH has done to Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians, on account of Israel, all the travail which has found them in the way, and [how] YHWH delivers them.

9 And Jothor was amazed at all the good things which the Lord did to them, forasmuch as he rescued them out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharao.

And Jethro rejoices for all the good which YHWH has done to Israel, whom He has delivered from the hand of the Egyptians;

10 And Jothor said, Blessed be the Lord, because he has rescued them out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharao.

and Jethro says, “Blessed [is] YHWH, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of Pharaoh—who has delivered this people from under the hand of the Egyptians;

11 Now know I that the Lord is great above all gods, because of this, wherein they attacked them.

now I have known that YHWH [is] greater than all the gods, for in the thing they have acted proudly—[He is] above them!”

12 And Jothor the father-in-law of Moses took whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for God, for Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses before God.

And Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, takes a burnt-offering and sacrifices [it] for God; and Aaron comes in, and all [the] elderly of Israel, to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses, before God.

13 And it came to pass after the morrow that Moses sat to judge the people, and all the people stood by Moses from morning till evening.

And it comes to pass on the next day, that Moses sits to judge the people, and the people stand before Moses from the morning to the evening;

14 And Jothor having seen all that [Moses] did to the people, says, What is this that you do to the people? therefore sit you alone, and all the people stand by you from morning till evening?

and the father-in-law of Moses sees all that he is doing for the people and says, “What [is] this thing which you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people standing by you from morning until evening?”

15 And Moses says to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to seek judgement from God.

And Moses says to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek God;

16 For whenever there is a dispute amongst them, and they come to me, I give judgement upon each, and I teach them the ordinances of God and his law.

when they have a matter, it has come to me, and I have judged between a man and his neighbor, and made known the statutes of God, and His laws.”

17 And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, You do not this thing rightly,

And the father-in-law of Moses says to him, “The thing which you are doing [is] not good;

18 you will wear away with intolerable weariness, both those and all this people which is with you: this thing is hard, you will not be able to endure it yourself alone.

you surely wear away, both you, and this people which [is] with you, for the thing is too heavy for you, you are not able to do it by yourself.

19 Now then listen to me, and I will advise you, and God shall be with you: be you to the people in the things pertaining to God, and you shall bring their matters to God.

Now listen to my voice, I counsel you, and God is with you: be for the people before God, and you have brought in the things to God;

20 And you shall testify to them the ordinances of God and his law, and you shall show to them the ways in which they shall walk, and the works which they shall do.

and you have warned them [concerning] the statutes and the laws, and have made known to them the way in which they go, and the work which they do.

21 And do you look out for yourself out of all the people able men, fearing God, righteous men, hating pride, and you shall set over the people captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens.

And you provide out of all the people men of ability, fearing God, men of truth, hating dishonest gain, and have placed [these] over them [for] heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens,

22 And they shall judge the people at all times, and the too burdensome matter they shall bring to you, but they shall judge the smaller cases; so they shall relieve you and help you.

and they have judged the people at all times; and it has come to pass, they bring every great matter to you, and they judge every small matter themselves; and lighten it from off yourself, and they have borne with you.

23 If you will do this thing, God shall strengthen you, and you shall be able to attend, and all this people shall come with peace into their own place.

If you do this thing, and God has commanded you, then you have been able to stand, and all this people also goes to its place in peace.”

24 And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did whatever he said to him.

And Moses listens to the voice of his father-in-law, and does all that he said,

25 And Moses chose out able men out of all Israel, and he made them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties and captains of tens over the people.

and Moses chooses men of ability out of all Israel, and makes them chiefs over the people [for] heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens,

26 And they judged the people at all times; and every too burdensome matter they brought to Moses, but every light matter they judged themselves.

and they have judged the people at all times; they bring the hard matter to Moses, and they judge every small matter themselves.

27 And Moses dismissed his father-in-law, and he returned to his own land.

And Moses sends his father-in-law away, and he goes away to his own land.