1Jethro bringeth to Moses his wife and two sons. 7Moses entertaineth him. 9Jethro blesseth God for his goodness to Israel. 13He counselleth Moses to provide fit persons, who may assist him in judging the people; his counsel is accepted. 27Jethro departeth.
1WHEN aJethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, bheard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
a ch. 2.16,18; 3.1; 4.18. v.12. b Ps. 44.2,3. ch. 6-17; 15.14.
2Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took cZipporah, Moses' wife, after he had dsent her back,
c ch. 2.21; 4.20,25. Nu. 12.1. d ch. 4.26.
3And her two sons; of which the ename of the one was 1Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a *strange land:
1That is, A stranger there, ch. 2.22. Ps. 39.12. He. 3.13. 1Pe. 2.11.
*strange-foreign.
e ch. 2.22. 1Ch. 23.14-17.
4And the name of the other was 2Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:
2That is, My God is an help. Ps. 46.5; 18.23. Is. 50.7,9. ch. 2.15.
5And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the fmount of God:
f ch. 3.1,12; 19.11,20; 24.16,17. 1Ki. 19.8.
6And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
7¶And Moses went out to gmeet his father in law, and did *obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their 3welfare; and they came into the tent.
*obeisance-expression of submission, often a bow.
3Heb. peace, 2Sa. 11.7. Ps. 122.6.
g Ac. 28.15. Ju. 11.34. ch. 20.12. 1Ki. 2.19. Ge. 29.11,13; 33.4. 2Sa. 19.39.
8And Moses htold 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 4come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
*travail-weariness, hardship.
4Heb. found them, Ne. 9.32.
h Ps. 105.1,2; 145.4-7,11,12. ch. 7-17. Ne. 9. Is. 63.7-14.
9And Jethro irejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
i Is. 44.23; 63.7-14; 66.10. Ro. 12.12,15. Ps. 105; 107; 128; 136.
10And Jethro said, jBlessed 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.
j Ge. 9.26; 14.20. 1Ki. 8.15. 1Ch. 29.10. Ne. 9.5-15. Ps. 103.1-6. 2Ch. 20.6,7. 2Sa. 18.28.
11Now I kknow that the lLORD is mgreater than all gods: nfor in the thing wherein they odealt proudly he was above them.
k Ge. 22.12. 1Ki. 17.24. l 1Ch. 17.19,20. Je. 10.6,16. Job11.7. Ps. 145.3; 147.5; 86.8,10; 89.6,8; 136.2,3; 72.18. ch. 15.11. De. 10.17. Jos. 24.22. m 2Ch. 2.5. Ps. 135.5. n ch. 1.10,16,22; 5.2,7; 15.9; 10.16; 14.18. Da. 4.37. Job5.11-13; 40.11,12. o Lu. 1.51.
12And Jethro, Moses' father in law, ptook a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to qeat bread with Moses' father in law before God.
p Ge. 8.20. Job1.5. ch. 24.5. Le. 1.3; 7.15. q Ec. 10.19. ch. 24.11. De. 12.5-7; 14.26; 27.7. 1Ch. 29.21,22. 1Co. 10.31. Ge. 31.54.
13¶And it came to pass on the *morrow, that Moses rsat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
*morrow-morning.
r Ju. 5.10. 1Ki. 1.13. Job29.7,25.
14And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
15And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to senquire of God:
s v.16,19. Le. 24.12. Nu. 15.34; 27.5. 1Sa. 9.9.
16When they have ta matter, they come unto me; and I judge between 5one and another, and I do umake them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
5Heb. a man and his fellow.
t ch. 24.14. De. 17.8. 1Co. 6.1. u Le. 24.15. Nu. 15.35; 27.6; 36.6.
17And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
186Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; vthou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
6Heb. fading thou wilt fade, Is. 40.5,7. Ps. 39.5; 78.39; 49.7,9; 89.48; 103.14-16. 1Pe. 1.24.
v De. 1.9,12. Ec. 4.12. Nu. 11.14,17.
19Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and wGod shall be with thee: Be thou xfor the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the ycauses unto God:
w Ge. 31.3; 32.9; 39.2,21. x ch. 20.19. De. 5.5. y Nu. 15.33-35; 27.5,6.
20And thou shalt zteach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them athe way wherein they must walk, and the bwork that they must do.
z Mat. 28.19,20. Col. 1.28,29. 2Ti. 4.2. 1Co. 4.2. a Ps. 143.8. b De. 1.18. Eze. 3.17. Mat. 28.20. Ac. 20.27.
21Moreover thou shalt cprovide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
c De. 1.13,15-17; 16.18,19. 2Sa. 23.3. 2Ch. 19.5-10. Zec. 7.9. Is. 33.15. Ac. 6.3.
22And dlet them judge the people at all seasons: eand 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 fthe burden with thee.
d v.19,26. De. 1.12. e Le. 24.11. Nu. 15.33. De. 1.17; 17.8. f Nu. 11.17.
23If thou shalt do this thing, and God gcommand thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to htheir place in peace.
g Nu. 11.16. h Ge. 18.33. ch. 16.29. 2Sa. 19.39.
24So Moses ihearkened to the voice of his father in law, and jdid all that he had said.
i Ge. 16.2. 1Ki. 5.13. 1Sa. 25.33. 1Co. 12.21. j Nu. 11.16. De. 1.14-18.
25And Moses kchose 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.
k De. 1.13,14,15. Ac. 14.23; 6.3,6.
26And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27¶lAnd Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
l Ge. 24.31,55,59. Ju. 19.9. Nu. 10.29,30.