Exodus 18

1 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,

Now news came to Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, of all God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, and how the Lord had taken Israel out of Egypt.

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

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

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

And her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom, for he said, I have been living in a strange land:

4 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.”

And the name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, The God of my father was my help, and kept me safe from the sword of Pharaoh:

5 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;

And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to where Moses had put up his tent in the waste land, by the mountain of God.

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

And he said to Moses, I, your father-in-law, have come to you, with your wife and your two sons.

7 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;

And Moses went out to his father-in-law, and went down on his face before him and gave him a kiss; and they said to one another, Are you well? and they came into the tent.

8 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.

And Moses gave his father-in-law an account of all the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians because of Israel, and of all the troubles which had come on them by the way, and how the Lord had given them salvation.

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

And Jethro was glad because the Lord had been good to Israel, freeing them from the power of the Egyptians.

10 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;

And Jethro said, Praise be to the Lord, who has taken you out of the hand of Pharaoh and out of the hand of the Egyptians; freeing the people from the yoke of the Egyptians.

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

Now I am certain that the Lord is greater than all gods, for he has overcome them in their pride.

12 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.

Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, made a burned offering to God: and Aaron came, with the chiefs of Israel, and had a meal with Moses' father-in-law, before God.

13 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;

Now on the day after, Moses took his seat to give decisions for the people: and the people were waiting before Moses from morning till evening.

14 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?”

And when Moses' father-in-law saw all he was doing, he said, What is this you are doing for the people? why are you seated here by yourself, with all the people waiting before you from morning till evening?

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

And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to get directions from God:

16 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.”

And if they have any question between themselves, they come to me, and I am judge between a man and his neighbour, and I give them the orders and laws of God.

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

And Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good.

18 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.

Your strength and that of the people will be completely used up: this work is more than you are able to do by yourself.

19 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;

Give ear now to my suggestion, and may God be with you: you are to be the people's representative before God, taking their causes to him:

20 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.

Teaching them his rules and his laws, guiding them in the way they have to go, and making clear to them the work they have to do.

21 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,

But for the rest, take from among the people able men, such as have the fear of God, true men hating profits wrongly made; and put such men over them, to be captains of thousands, captains of hundreds and of fifties and of tens;

22 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.

And let them be judges in the causes of the people at all times: and let them put before you all important questions, but in small things let them give decisions themselves: in this way, it will be less hard for you, and they will take the weight off you.

23 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.”

If you do this, and God gives approval, then you will be able to go on without weariness, and all this people will go to their tents in peace.

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

So Moses took note of the words of his father-in-law, and did as he had said.

25 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,

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

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

And they were judges in the causes of the people at all times: the hard questions they put before Moses; but on every small point they gave decisions themselves.

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

And Moses let his father-in-law go away, and he went back to his land.