THE SECOND BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
E X O D U S
Exodus 18 ©
Jethro brings Moses his wife and his two sons, vs. 1, etc. Moses relates unto Jethro what great things the LORD had done for Israel, 7. Jethro blesses God, and offers sacrifice unto Him, 10. He counsels Moses to set up judges for the judging of small matters, 13. Moses follows this counsel, 24. Jethro returns to his own country, 27.
WHENa Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, 1after he had sent her back,
And 2her two sons; ofb which the name of the one was Gershom; for 3he said, I have been an alien 4in a strangec land:
And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped 5at the mount of God:
And 6he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
¶And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked 7each other of their 8welfare; and they came 9into the tent.
And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had 10come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
And Jethro 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.
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all 11gods: 12ford in the thing wherein they dealt proudly 13he was above them.
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices 14for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat 15bread with Moses' father in law 16before God.
¶And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
And when Moses' father in law saw all 17that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself 18alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to 19enquire of God:
When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
And Moses' father in law said unto him, 20The thing that thou doest is not good.
21Thou wilt surely wear away, 22both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: 23Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people 24able men, such as fear God, 25men of truth, hating covetousness; and 26place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go 27to their place in peace.
So Mosese hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and 28did all that he had said.
And Moses chose 29able 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.
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
¶And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into 30his own land.