< Exodus 18 >

1 And when Jethro the priest of Madian, the kinsman of Moses, had heard all the things that God had done to Moses, and to Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought forth 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 He took Sephora the wife of Moses whom he had sent back:
and Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, takes Zipporah, wife of Moses, after her parting,
3 And her two sons, of whom one was called Gersam, his father saying: I have been a stranger in a foreign country.
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 other Eliezer: For the God of my father, said he, is my helper, and hath delivered me from the sword 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 Jethro the kinsman of Moses came with his sons and his wife, to Moses into the desert, where he was camped by the mountain 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 he sent word to Moses, saying: I Jethro thy kinsman come to thee, and thy wife, and thy two sons with her.
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 he went out to meet his kinsman, and worshipped and kissed him: and they saluted one another with words of peace. And when he was come 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 Moses told his kinsman all that the Lord had done to Pharao, and the Egyptians, in favour of Israel: and all the labour which had befallen them in the journey, and that the Lord had delivered them.
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 Jethro rejoiced for all the good things that the Lord had done to Israel, because he had delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians.
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 he said: Blessed is the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of Pharao, and out of the hand of the Egyptians, who hath delivered his people out of the hand of Egypt.
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 I know that the Lord is great above all gods: because they dealt proudly against 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 So Jethro the kinsman of Moses offered holocausts and sacrifices to God: and Aaron and all the ancients of Israel came, to eat bread with them 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 the next day Moses sat, to judge the people, who stood by Moses from morning until night.
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 when his kinsman had seen all things that he did among the people, he said: What is it that thou dost among the people? Why sittest thou alone, and all the people wait from morning till night.
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 answered him: The people come to me to seek the judgment of God.
And Moses says to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek God;
16 And when any controversy falleth out among them, they come to me to judge between them, and to shew the precepts of God, and his laws.
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 But he said: The thing thou dost is not good.
And the father-in-law of Moses says to him, “The thing which you are doing [is] not good;
18 Thou are spent with foolish labour, both thou and this people that is with thee: the business is above thy strength, thou alone canst not bear it.
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 But hear my words and counsels, and God shall be with thee. Be thou to the people in those things that pertain to God, to bring their words to him:
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 to shew the people the ceremonies and the manner of worshipping, and the way wherein they ought to walk, and the work that they ought to 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 provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, in whom there is truth, and that hate avarice, and appoint of them rulers of thousands, and of hundreds, and of fifties, and 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 Who may judge the people at all times: and when any great matter soever shall fall out, let them refer it to thee, and let them judge the lesser matters only: that so it may be lighter for thee, the burden being shared out unto others.
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 thou dost this, thou shalt fulfill the commandment of God, and shalt be able to bear his precepts: and all this people shall return to their places with peace.
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 when Moses heard this, he did all things that he had suggested unto him.
And Moses listens to the voice of his father-in-law, and does all that he said,
25 And choosing able men out of all Israel, he appointed them rulers of the people, rulers over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.
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 whatsoever was of greater difficulty they referred to him, and they judged the easier cases only.
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 he let his kinsman depart: and he returned and went into his own country.
And Moses sends his father-in-law away, and he goes away to his own land.

< Exodus 18 >