Exodus 18 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

VIN⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, ³ and her two sons, of one's name was Gershom (for he said, I have become an alien in a foreign land;) ⁴ And the other was called Eliezer - "For the God of my father was mine help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh." ⁵ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law brought Moses' sons and wife to Moses in the desert. He was camped near the mountain of God. ⁶ He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you along with your wife and her two sons." ⁷ When Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, he bowed low and kissed him, and they greeted one another. Then they went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel. He talked about all the hardships they had on the way, and how the LORD saved them. ⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good that the LORD had done for Israel in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from the oppression of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.” ¹² 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 in the presence of God. ¹³ The next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning until evening?" ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. ¹⁶ When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between one and another, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. ¹⁷ Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ "You and your people will wear yourselves out. This is too much work for you. You cannot do it alone! ¹⁹ "Listen to the advice I give you. May God be with you! You must be the people's representative to God and bring their disagreements to him. ²⁰ and enlighten them statutes and torahs and have them know the way to walk and the work to work: ²¹ "You shall look for capable men among the people, men who fear God, men of integrity who hate dishonest gain. You shall set these men over them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²² They shall judge the people at all times. Let them bring every major matter to you, but let them judge every minor matter. It will lighten your burden, and they'll bear it with you. ²³ If you do this, and God so commands you, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will also go to their homes in peace." ²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people, as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²⁶ And they judged the people at all times; any difficult cause they brought unto Moses, but every small cause they judged themselves. ²⁷ Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and he went to his own land.