¹ A Jotor sveštenik madijanski, tast Mojsijev, ču sve što učini Gospod Mojsiju i Izrailju narodu svom, kako izvede Gospod Izrailja iz Misira;

² I uze, Jotor tast Mojsijev, Seforu ženu Mojsijevu, koju beše poslao natrag,

³ I dva sina njena, od kojih jednom beše ime Girsam, jer reče: Tuđin sam u zemlji tuđoj,

⁴ A drugom beše ime Elijezer, jer, reče, Bog oca mog bi mi u pomoći i ote me od mača Faraonovog.

⁵ I pođe Jotor, tast Mojsijev, sa sinovima njegovim i sa ženom njegovom k Mojsiju u pustinju, gde beše u logoru pod gorom Božijom.

⁶ I poruči Mojsiju: Ja tast tvoj Jotor idem k tebi i žena tvoja i oba sina njena s njom.

⁷ I Mojsije izađe na susret tastu svom i pokloni mu se i celiva ga; i upitaše se za zdravlje, pa uđoše pod šator njegov.

⁸ I pripovedi Mojsije tastu svom sve što učini Gospod Faraonu i Misircima radi Izrailja, i sve nevolje, koje ih nalaziše putem, i kako ih izbavi Gospod.

⁹ I radovaše se Jotor svemu dobru što učini Gospod Izrailju izbavivši ga iz ruke misirske;

¹⁰ I reče Jotor: Blagosloven da je Gospod, koji vas izbavi iz ruke misirske, i iz ruke Faraonove, koji izbavi narod iz ropstva misirskog.

¹¹ Sad vidim da je Gospod veći od svih bogova, jer čim se ponošahu onim ih samim nadvisi.

¹² I uze Jotor, tast Mojsijev i prinese Bogu žrtvu paljenicu i prinos; i dođe Aron i sve starešine izrailjske, i jedoše s tastom Mojsijevim pred Bogom.

¹³ A sutradan sede Mojsije da sudi narodu; i stajaše narod pred Mojsijem od jutra do večera.

¹⁴ A tast Mojsijev gledajući sve šta radi s narodom, reče: Šta to radiš s narodom? Zašto sediš sam, a sav narod stoji pred tobom od jutra do večera.

¹⁵ A Mojsije reče tastu svom: Jer dolazi narod k meni da pita Boga.

¹⁶ Kad imaju šta među sobom, dolaze k meni, te im sudim i kazujem naredbe Božje i zakone Njegove.

¹⁷ A tast Mojsijev reče mu: Nije dobro šta radiš.

¹⁸ Umorićeš se i ti i narod koji je s tobom; jer je to teško za tebe, nećeš moći sam vršiti.

¹⁹ Nego poslušaj mene; ja ću te svetovati, i Bog će biti s tobom; ti budi pred Bogom za narod, i stvari njihove javljaj Bogu;

²⁰ I uči ih naredbama i zakonima Njegovim, i pokazuj im put kojim će ići i šta će raditi.

²¹ A iz svega naroda izaberi ljude poštene, koji se boje Boga, ljude pravedne, koji mrze na mito, pa ih postavi nad njima za poglavare, hiljadnike, stotinike, pedesetnike i desetnike;

²² Oni neka sude narodu u svako doba; pa svaku stvar veliku neka javljaju tebi, a svaku stvar malu neka raspravljaju sami; tako će ti biti lakše, kad i oni stanu nositi teret s tobom.

²³ Ako to učiniš, i Bog ti zapovedi, možeš se održati, i sav će narod doći mirno na svoje mesto.

²⁴ I Mojsije posluša tasta svog, i učini sve što reče.

²⁵ I izabra Mojsije iz svega Izrailja ljude poštene, i postavi ih za poglavare nad narodom, hiljadnike, stotnike, pedesetnike i desetnike.

²⁶ Koji suđahu narodu u svako doba, a stvari teške javljahu Mojsiju, a male stvari raspravljahu sami.

²⁷ Posle otpusti Mojsije tasta svog, koji se vrati u svoju zemlju.

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.