¹ And Jethro, priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel His people, for Jehovah had brought·​·out Israel from Egypt.

² And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah, the wife of Moses, after her being·​·sent away;

³ and her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom^*; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land;

⁴ and the name of the one was Eliezer; Because the God of my father was my help, and rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.

⁵ And Jethro the father-in-law of Moses came, and his sons, and his wife, to^▵ Moses, to^▵ the wilderness where he was encamped at the mount of God.

⁶ And he said to Moses, I thy father-in-law Jethro am come to thee, and thy wife, with her two sons with her.

⁷ And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed· himself ·down, and kissed him; and they asked, a man^◦ to his companion, as to peace; and they came into the tent.

⁸ And Moses recounted^◦ to his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for the cause^◦ of Israel, all the weariness that found them in the way, and Jehovah rescued them.

⁹ And Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Jehovah had done to Israel, who rescued them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ And Jethro said, Blessed be Jehovah, who has rescued you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who rescued His people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

¹¹ Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all the gods; in the thing in which they have been presumptuous over them.

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 before God.

¹³ And it was, on the morrow, and Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood over Moses from the morning until the evening.

¹⁴ And the father-in-law of Moses saw all that he did for the people, and he said, What is this word that thou doest for the people? Wherefore sittest thou^◦ by·​·thyself, and all the people standing·​·over thee from morning until evening?

¹⁵ And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God;

¹⁶ when^◦ they have^◦ a word, it comes to^▵ me; and I judge between a man^◦ and his companion, and I make·​·known the statutes of God, and His laws.

¹⁷ And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, The word that thou doest is not good.

¹⁸ Fading thou wilt fade away, both^◦ thou^◦, and^◦ this people who is with thee; for the word is too heavy for thee; thou art· not ·able to do it alone.

¹⁹ Now hear my voice, I will counsel thee, and God shall be with thee: be thou^◦ for the people next·​·to God, and bring thou^◦ the words to^▵ God:

²⁰ and warn them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk^◦, and the deed that they must do.

²¹ And thou^◦ shalt behold from all the people men^◦ of force, fearing God, men^◦ of truth, hating gain; and thou shalt set of them for princes of thousands, princes of hundreds, princes of fifties, and princes of tens;

²² and let them judge the people in every time; and it shall be that they shall bring every great word to^▵ thee, and every small word they shall judge; and the work shall lighten from upon thee, and they shall bear with^◦ thee.

²³ If thou do this word, and God have commanded thee, then thou shalt be·​·able to stand, and also all this people shall come upon its place in peace.

²⁴ And Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

²⁵ And Moses chose men^◦ of force from all Israel, and put^◦ them as heads over the people: princes of thousands, princes of hundreds, princes of fifties, and princes of tens.

²⁶ And they shall judge the people in every time, the hard word they shall bring to Moses, and every small word they shall judge.

²⁷ And Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went to himself to his own land.

¹ 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 Yahweh 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. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".

⁴ The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."

⁵ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

⁶ He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her."

⁷ Moses 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.

⁸ Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh 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 Yahweh delivered them.

⁹ Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ Jethro said, "Blessed be Yahweh, 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 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them."

¹² Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

¹³ It happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.

¹⁴ When 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?"

¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

¹⁶ 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 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.

¹⁸ You 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.

¹⁹ Listen 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.

²⁰ You 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 Moreover you 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 Let 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.

²³ If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."

²⁴ So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

²⁵ 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 They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

²⁷ Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.