¹ εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς μωυσῆν λέγων εἴσελθε πρὸς φαραω ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐσκλήρυνα αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν καὶ τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ ἵνα ἑξῆς ἐπέλθῃ τὰ σημεῖα ταῦτα ἐπ' αὐτούς

² ὅπως διηγήσησθε εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῶν τέκνων ὑμῶν καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις τῶν τέκνων ὑμῶν ὅσα ἐμπέπαιχα τοῖς αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τὰ σημεῖά μου ἃ ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος

³ εἰσῆλθεν δὲ μωυσῆς καὶ ααρων ἐναντίον φαραω καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῶν εβραίων ἕως τίνος οὐ βούλει ἐντραπῆναί με ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου ἵνα λατρεύσωσίν μοι

⁴ ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλῃς σὺ ἐξαποστεῖλαι τὸν λαόν μου ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ταύτην τὴν ὥραν αὔριον ἀκρίδα πολλὴν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὅριά σου

⁵ καὶ καλύψει τὴν ὄψιν τῆς γῆς καὶ οὐ δυνήσῃ κατιδεῖν τὴν γῆν καὶ κατέδεται πᾶν τὸ περισσὸν τῆς γῆς τὸ καταλειφθέν ὃ κατέλιπεν ὑμῖν ἡ χάλαζα καὶ κατέδεται πᾶν ξύλον τὸ φυόμενον ὑμῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

⁶ καὶ πλησθήσονταί σου αἱ οἰκίαι καὶ αἱ οἰκίαι τῶν θεραπόντων σου καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ οἰκίαι ἐν πάσῃ γῇ τῶν αἰγυπτίων ἃ οὐδέποτε ἑωράκασιν οἱ πατέρες σου οὐδὲ οἱ πρόπαπποι αὐτῶν ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας γεγόνασιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης καὶ ἐκκλίνας μωυσῆς ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ φαραω

⁷ καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ θεράποντες φαραω πρὸς αὐτόν ἕως τίνος ἔσται τοῦτο ἡμῖν σκῶλον ἐξαπόστειλον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὅπως λατρεύσωσιν τῷ θεῷ αὐτῶν ἢ εἰδέναι βούλει ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν αἴγυπτος

⁸ καὶ ἀπέστρεψαν τόν τε μωυσῆν καὶ ααρων πρὸς φαραω καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς πορεύεσθε καὶ λατρεύσατε τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν τίνες δὲ καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ πορευόμενοι

⁹ καὶ λέγει μωυσῆς σὺν τοῖς νεανίσκοις καὶ πρεσβυτέροις πορευσόμεθα σὺν τοῖς υἱοῖς καὶ θυγατράσιν καὶ προβάτοις καὶ βουσὶν ἡμῶν ἔστιν γὰρ ἑορτὴ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν

¹⁰ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς ἔστω οὕτως κύριος μεθ' ὑμῶν καθότι ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς μὴ καὶ τὴν ἀποσκευὴν ὑμῶν ἴδετε ὅτι πονηρία πρόκειται ὑμῖν

¹¹ μὴ οὕτως πορευέσθωσαν δὲ οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ λατρεύσατε τῷ θεῷ τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὶ ζητεῖτε ἐξέβαλον δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου φαραω

¹² εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς μωυσῆν ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ γῆν αἰγύπτου καὶ ἀναβήτω ἀκρὶς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ κατέδεται πᾶσαν βοτάνην τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντα τὸν καρπὸν τῶν ξύλων ὃν ὑπελίπετο ἡ χάλαζα

¹³ καὶ ἐπῆρεν μωυσῆς τὴν ῥάβδον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν καὶ κύριος ἐπήγαγεν ἄνεμον νότον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην καὶ ὅλην τὴν νύκτα τὸ πρωὶ ἐγενήθη καὶ ὁ ἄνεμος ὁ νότος ἀνέλαβεν τὴν ἀκρίδα

¹⁴ καὶ ἀνήγαγεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν γῆν αἰγύπτου καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὅρια αἰγύπτου πολλὴ σφόδρα προτέρα αὐτῆς οὐ γέγονεν τοιαύτη ἀκρὶς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἔσται οὕτως

¹⁵ καὶ ἐκάλυψεν τὴν ὄψιν τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐφθάρη ἡ γῆ καὶ κατέφαγεν πᾶσαν βοτάνην τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντα τὸν καρπὸν τῶν ξύλων ὃς ὑπελείφθη ἀπὸ τῆς χαλάζης οὐχ ὑπελείφθη χλωρὸν οὐδὲν ἐν τοῖς ξύλοις καὶ ἐν πάσῃ βοτάνῃ τοῦ πεδίου ἐν πάσῃ γῇ αἰγύπτου

¹⁶ κατέσπευδεν δὲ φαραω καλέσαι μωυσῆν καὶ ααρων λέγων ἡμάρτηκα ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν καὶ εἰς ὑμᾶς

¹⁷ προσδέξασθε οὖν μου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἔτι νῦν καὶ προσεύξασθε πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν καὶ περιελέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸν θάνατον τοῦτον

¹⁸ ἐξῆλθεν δὲ μωυσῆς ἀπὸ φαραω καὶ ηὔξατο πρὸς τὸν θεόν

¹⁹ καὶ μετέβαλεν κύριος ἄνεμον ἀπὸ θαλάσσης σφοδρόν καὶ ἀνέλαβεν τὴν ἀκρίδα καὶ ἐνέβαλεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν καὶ οὐχ ὑπελείφθη ἀκρὶς μία ἐν πάσῃ γῇ αἰγύπτου

²⁰ καὶ ἐσκλήρυνεν κύριος τὴν καρδίαν φαραω καὶ οὐκ ἐξαπέστειλεν τοὺς υἱοὺς ισραηλ

²¹ εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς μωυσῆν ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά σου εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν καὶ γενηθήτω σκότος ἐπὶ γῆν αἰγύπτου ψηλαφητὸν σκότος

²² ἐξέτεινεν δὲ μωυσῆς τὴν χεῖρα εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν καὶ ἐγένετο σκότος γνόφος θύελλα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν γῆν αἰγύπτου τρεῖς ἡμέρας

²³ καὶ οὐκ εἶδεν οὐδεὶς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ οὐκ ἐξανέστη οὐδεὶς ἐκ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ τρεῖς ἡμέρας πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς υἱοῖς ισραηλ ἦν φῶς ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς κατεγίνοντο

²⁴ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν φαραω μωυσῆν καὶ ααρων λέγων βαδίζετε λατρεύσατε κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν πλὴν τῶν προβάτων καὶ τῶν βοῶν ὑπολίπεσθε καὶ ἡ ἀποσκευὴ ὑμῶν ἀποτρεχέτω μεθ' ὑμῶν

²⁵ καὶ εἶπεν μωυσῆς ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺ δώσεις ἡμῖν ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας ἃ ποιήσομεν κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν

²⁶ καὶ τὰ κτήνη ἡμῶν πορεύσεται μεθ' ἡμῶν καὶ οὐχ ὑπολειψόμεθα ὁπλήν ἀπ' αὐτῶν γὰρ λημψόμεθα λατρεῦσαι κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί λατρεύσωμεν κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖ

²⁷ ἐσκλήρυνεν δὲ κύριος τὴν καρδίαν φαραω καὶ οὐκ ἐβουλήθη ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτούς

²⁸ καὶ λέγει φαραω ἄπελθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ ἔτι προσθεῖναι ἰδεῖν μου τὸ πρόσωπον ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ὀφθῇς μοι ἀποθανῇ

²⁹ λέγει δὲ μωυσῆς εἴρηκας οὐκέτι ὀφθήσομαί σοι εἰς πρόσωπον

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.