Exodus 18 — WEBBE
18Verse 1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.Verse 2Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her away,Verse 3and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom,+for Moses said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land”.Verse 4The name of the other was Eliezer,+for he said, “My father’s God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.”Verse 5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with Moses’ sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.Verse 6He said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her.”Verse 7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.Verse 8Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how the LORD delivered them.Verse 9Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.Verse 10Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, 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.Verse 11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.”Verse 12Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.Verse 13On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.Verse 14When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, “What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?”Verse 15Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to enquire of God.Verse 16When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbour, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.”Verse 17Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.Verse 18You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.Verse 19Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.Verse 20You 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.Verse 21Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which 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.Verse 22Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.Verse 23If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”Verse 24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.Verse 25Moses 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.Verse 26They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.Verse 27Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.