Exodus 18

1 cumque audisset Iethro sacerdos Madian cognatus Mosi omnia quae fecerat Deus Mosi et Israhel populo suo eo quod eduxisset Dominus Israhel de Aegypto

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.

2 tulit Sefforam uxorem Mosi quam remiserat

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

3 et duos filios eius quorum unus vocabatur Gersan dicente patre advena fui in terra aliena

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.

4 alter vero Eliezer Deus enim ait patris mei adiutor meus et eruit me de gladio Pharaonis

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.

5 venit ergo Iethro cognatus Mosi et filii eius et uxor ad Mosen in desertum ubi erat castrametatus iuxta montem Dei

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.

6 et mandavit Mosi dicens ego cognatus tuus Iethro venio ad te et uxor tua et duo filii tui cum ea

And he said to Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, have come to thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

7 qui egressus in occursum cognati sui adoravit et osculatus est eum salutaveruntque se mutuo verbis pacificis cumque intrasset tabernaculum

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.

8 narravit Moses cognato suo cuncta quae fecerat Deus Pharaoni et Aegyptiis propter Israhel universum laborem qui accidisset eis in itinere quo liberarat eos Dominus

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.

9 laetatusque est Iethro super omnibus bonis quae fecerat Dominus Israheli eo quod eruisset eum de manu Aegyptiorum

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.

10 et ait benedictus Dominus qui liberavit vos de manu Aegyptiorum et de manu Pharaonis qui eruit populum suum de manu Aegypti

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.

11 nunc cognovi quia magnus Dominus super omnes deos eo quod superbe egerint contra illos

Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods, yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.

12 obtulit ergo Iethro cognatus Mosi holocausta et hostias Deo veneruntque Aaron et omnes senes Israhel ut comederent panem cum eo coram Domino

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.

13 altero autem die sedit Moses ut iudicaret populum qui adsistebat Mosi de mane usque ad vesperam

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.

14 quod cum vidisset cognatus eius omnia scilicet quae agebat in populo ait quid est hoc quod facis in plebe cur solus sedes et omnis populus praestolatur de mane usque ad vesperam

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?

15 cui respondit Moses venit ad me populus quaerens sententiam Dei

And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

16 cumque acciderit eis aliqua disceptatio veniunt ad me ut iudicem inter eos et ostendam praecepta Dei et leges eius

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.

17 at ille non bonam inquit rem facis

And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou do is not good.

18 stulto labore consumeris et tu et populus iste qui tecum est ultra vires tuas est negotium solus illud non poteris sustinere

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.

19 sed audi verba mea atque consilia et erit Deus tecum esto tu populo in his quae ad Deum pertinent ut referas quae dicuntur ad eum

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.

20 ostendasque populo caerimonias et ritum colendi viamque per quam ingredi debeant et opus quod facere

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.

21 provide autem de omni plebe viros potentes et timentes Deum in quibus sit veritas et qui oderint avaritiam et constitue ex eis tribunos et centuriones et quinquagenarios et decanos

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,

22 qui iudicent populum omni tempore quicquid autem maius fuerit referant ad te et ipsi minora tantummodo iudicent leviusque tibi sit partito in alios onere

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.

23 si hoc feceris implebis imperium Dei et praecepta eius poteris sustentare et omnis hic populus revertetur cum pace ad loca sua

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.

24 quibus auditis Moses fecit omnia quae ille suggesserat

So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

25 et electis viris strenuis de cuncto Israhel constituit eos principes populi tribunos et centuriones et quinquagenarios et decanos

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,

26 qui iudicabant plebem omni tempore quicquid autem gravius erat referebant ad eum faciliora tantummodo iudicantes

and they judged the people at all seasons. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

27 dimisitque cognatum qui reversus abiit in terram suam

And Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.