¹ ἤκουσεν δὲ ιοθορ ὁ ἱερεὺς μαδιαμ ὁ γαμβρὸς μωυσῆ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν κύριος ισραηλ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λαῷ ἐξήγαγεν γὰρ κύριος τὸν ισραηλ ἐξ αἰγύπτου

² ἔλαβεν δὲ ιοθορ ὁ γαμβρὸς μωυσῆ σεπφωραν τὴν γυναῖκα μωυσῆ μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν αὐτῆς

³ καὶ τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ αὐτῶν γηρσαμ λέγων πάροικος ἤμην ἐν γῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ

⁴ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ δευτέρου ελιεζερ λέγων ὁ γὰρ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου βοηθός μου καὶ ἐξείλατό με ἐκ χειρὸς φαραω

⁵ καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ιοθορ ὁ γαμβρὸς μωυσῆ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ πρὸς μωυσῆν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον οὗ παρενέβαλεν ἐπ' ὄρους τοῦ θεοῦ

⁶ ἀνηγγέλη δὲ μωυσεῖ λέγοντες ἰδοὺ ὁ γαμβρός σου ιοθορ παραγίνεται πρὸς σέ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καὶ οἱ δύο υἱοί σου μετ' αὐτοῦ

⁷ ἐξῆλθεν δὲ μωυσῆς εἰς συνάντησιν τῷ γαμβρῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐφίλησεν αὐτόν καὶ ἠσπάσαντο ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν σκηνήν

⁸ καὶ διηγήσατο μωυσῆς τῷ γαμβρῷ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν κύριος τῷ φαραω καὶ τοῖς αἰγυπτίοις ἕνεκεν τοῦ ισραηλ καὶ πάντα τὸν μόχθον τὸν γενόμενον αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ καὶ ὅτι ἐξείλατο αὐτοὺς κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς φαραω καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν αἰγυπτίων

⁹ ἐξέστη δὲ ιοθορ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς οἷς ἐποίησεν αὐτοῖς κύριος ὅτι ἐξείλατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς αἰγυπτίων καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς φαραω

¹⁰ καὶ εἶπεν ιοθορ εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὅτι ἐξείλατο τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρὸς αἰγυπτίων καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς φαραω

¹¹ νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι μέγας κύριος παρὰ πάντας τοὺς θεούς ἕνεκεν τούτου ὅτι ἐπέθεντο αὐτοῖς

¹² καὶ ἔλαβεν ιοθορ ὁ γαμβρὸς μωυσῆ ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας τῷ θεῷ παρεγένετο δὲ ααρων καὶ πάντες οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ισραηλ συμφαγεῖν ἄρτον μετὰ τοῦ γαμβροῦ μωυσῆ ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ

¹³ καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὴν ἐπαύριον συνεκάθισεν μωυσῆς κρίνειν τὸν λαόν παρειστήκει δὲ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς μωυσεῖ ἀπὸ πρωίθεν ἕως ἑσπέρας

¹⁴ καὶ ἰδὼν ιοθορ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίει τῷ λαῷ λέγει τί τοῦτο ὃ σὺ ποιεῖς τῷ λαῷ διὰ τί σὺ κάθησαι μόνος πᾶς δὲ ὁ λαὸς παρέστηκέν σοι ἀπὸ πρωίθεν ἕως δείλης

¹⁵ καὶ λέγει μωυσῆς τῷ γαμβρῷ ὅτι παραγίνεται πρός με ὁ λαὸς ἐκζητῆσαι κρίσιν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ

¹⁶ ὅταν γὰρ γένηται αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογία καὶ ἔλθωσι πρός με διακρίνω ἕκαστον καὶ συμβιβάζω αὐτοὺς τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ

¹⁷ εἶπεν δὲ ὁ γαμβρὸς μωυσῆ πρὸς αὐτόν οὐκ ὀρθῶς σὺ ποιεῖς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο

¹⁸ φθορᾷ καταφθαρήσῃ ἀνυπομονήτῳ καὶ σὺ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ὅς ἐστιν μετὰ σοῦ βαρύ σοι τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο οὐ δυνήσῃ ποιεῖν μόνος

¹⁹ νῦν οὖν ἄκουσόν μου καὶ συμβουλεύσω σοι καὶ ἔσται ὁ θεὸς μετὰ σοῦ γίνου σὺ τῷ λαῷ τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἀνοίσεις τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν

²⁰ καὶ διαμαρτυρῇ αὐτοῖς τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ καὶ σημανεῖς αὐτοῖς τὰς ὁδούς ἐν αἷς πορεύσονται ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιήσουσιν

²¹ καὶ σὺ σεαυτῷ σκέψαι ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς θεοσεβεῖς ἄνδρας δικαίους μισοῦντας ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ καταστήσεις αὐτοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῶν χιλιάρχους καὶ ἑκατοντάρχους καὶ πεντηκοντάρχους καὶ δεκαδάρχους

²² καὶ κρινοῦσιν τὸν λαὸν πᾶσαν ὥραν τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τὸ ὑπέρογκον ἀνοίσουσιν ἐπὶ σέ τὰ δὲ βραχέα τῶν κριμάτων κρινοῦσιν αὐτοὶ καὶ κουφιοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ συναντιλήμψονταί σοι

²³ ἐὰν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ποιήσῃς κατισχύσει σε ὁ θεός καὶ δυνήσῃ παραστῆναι καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οὗτος εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τόπον μετ' εἰρήνης ἥξει

²⁴ ἤκουσεν δὲ μωυσῆς τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ γαμβροῦ καὶ ἐποίησεν ὅσα αὐτῷ εἶπεν

²⁵ καὶ ἐπέλεξεν μωυσῆς ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς ισραηλ καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῶν χιλιάρχους καὶ ἑκατοντάρχους καὶ πεντηκοντάρχους καὶ δεκαδάρχους

²⁶ καὶ ἐκρίνοσαν τὸν λαὸν πᾶσαν ὥραν πᾶν δὲ ῥῆμα ὑπέρογκον ἀνεφέροσαν ἐπὶ μωυσῆν πᾶν δὲ ῥῆμα ἐλαφρὸν ἐκρίνοσαν αὐτοί

²⁷ ἐξαπέστειλεν δὲ μωυσῆς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ γαμβρόν καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ

¹ When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;

² Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,

³ And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:

⁴ And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:

⁵ And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

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

⁷ And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.

⁸ And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

⁹ And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

¹¹ Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above 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 came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

¹⁴ And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

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

¹⁶ When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

¹⁷ And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

¹⁸ Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

¹⁹ Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

²⁰ And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

²¹ Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

²² And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

²³ If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

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

²⁵ And 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 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

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