Exodus 18
1 And Jithro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, that the Lord had brought forth 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 Then took Jithro, the father-in-law of Moses, Zipporah, the wife of Moses, after he had sent her back,
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 stranger 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 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 Jithro, the father-in-law of Moses, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses, unto 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 sent word unto Moses, I thy father-in-law Jithro am coming unto thee, with 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 bowed himself, and kissed him; and they asked each other after their welfare; and they went 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 which the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians on account of Israel, all the hardship which had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord had 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 Jithro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, that he had delivered it out of the hand of the Egyptians.
Mendengar semua itu, Yitro merasa gembira
10 And Jithro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath 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 the Eternal is great above all gods; for by the very thing wherein they sinned presumptuously was punishment brought upon 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 Jithro, the father-in-law of Moses, offered a burnt-offering and sacrifices unto God; and Aaron came, with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses, 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 around Moses from the morning unto the evening.
Keesokan harinya Musa mengadili perselisihan-perselisihan antara orang-orang Israel. Pekerjaan itu makan waktu dari pagi sampai malam.
14 And the father-in-law of Moses saw all that he did to the people; and he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people standeth around thee from morning until 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 unto his father-in-law, Because the people cometh unto me to inquire of God.
Jawab Musa, "Orang-orang itu datang kepada saya untuk mengetahui kehendak Allah.
16 When they have a matter of dispute, they come unto me; and I judge between one and the other, 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 the father-in-law of Moses said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Kata Yitro, "Tidak baik begitu.
18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou wilt not be able to perform it by thyself alone.
Dengan cara itu engkau melelahkan dirimu sendiri, dan juga orang-orang itu. Pekerjaan itu terlalu banyak untuk satu orang.
19 Now hearken unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and may God be with thee, Be thou for the people a mediator with God, that thou mayest bring the causes unto 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 shalt explain to them the statutes and the laws; and thou shalt make them know the way wherein 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 shalt select out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating [their own] gain; and place these over them, as 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 times; and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be easier for thee, when they shall bear 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 wilt do this thing, and God commandeth it thee, then wilt thou be able to endure; and also the whole of this people will come to its 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 And 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 placed them as 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 times; any difficult cause they brought unto Moses, but every small cause 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 dismissed his father-in-law; and he went his way unto his own land.
Kemudian Musa melepas Yitro pergi dan pulanglah Yitro ke negerinya.
