¹ Kolmandal kuul pärast Iisraeli laste lahkumist Egiptusemaalt, just sel ajal, tulid nad Siinai kõrbesse,

² sest nad olid Refidimist teele läinud, Siinai kõrbesse tulnud ja kõrbes leeri üles löönud; Iisrael oli seal leeris mäe jalamil.

³ Mooses läks üles Jumala juurde ja Issand hüüdis teda mäelt, öeldes: 'Ütle nõnda Jaakobi soole ja kuuluta Iisraeli lastele:

⁴ Te olete näinud, mida ma olen teinud egiptlastele, kuidas ma teid olen kandnud kotka tiibadel ja kuidas ma teid olen toonud enese juurde.

⁵ Ja kui te nüüd tõesti kuulate minu häält ja peate minu lepingut, siis te olete minu omand kõigi rahvaste hulgast, sest minu päralt on kogu maailm.

⁶ Te olete mulle preestrite kuningriigiks ja pühaks rahvaks. Need on sõnad, mis sa pead Iisraeli lastele rääkima!'

⁷ Ja Mooses tuli ning kutsus rahva vanemad ja pani nende ette kõik need sõnad, nagu Issand teda oli käskinud.

⁸ Ja kogu rahvas vastas üksmeelselt ning ütles: 'Me teeme kõik, mis Issand on öelnud.' Ja Mooses viis rahva vastuse Issandale.

⁹ Ja Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Vaata, mina tulen su juurde paksus pilves, et rahvas kuuleks, kui ma sinuga räägin, ja nad usuksid ka sind igavesti.' Ja Mooses kuulutas Issandale rahva vastuse.

¹⁰ Siis Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Mine rahva juurde, pühitse neid täna ja homme, ja nad pesku oma riided!

¹¹ Ja nad olgu valmis kolmandaks päevaks, sest kolmandal päeval astub Issand kogu rahva silma ees alla Siinai mäele.

¹² Aga hoia rahvast igast küljest tagasi, öeldes: Hoiduge mäele üles minemast ja selle jalamit puudutamast! Igaühte, kes mäge puudutab, karistatakse surmaga!

¹³ Kellegi käsi ei tohi seda puudutada, vaid ta visatagu kividega surnuks või lastagu maha; olgu loom või inimene, ta ei tohi jääda elama! Alles kui pikalt sarve puhutakse, võivad nad minna mäele.'

¹⁴ Ja Mooses tuli mäelt alla rahva juurde; ta pühitses rahvast ja nad pesid oma riided.

¹⁵ Ja ta ütles rahvale: 'Olge valmis kolmandaks päevaks! Ärge minge naise ligi!'

¹⁶ Ja kolmandal päeval, kui hommik oli saabunud, sündis, et hakkas müristama ja välku lööma: mäe kohal oli ränk pilv ja kostis väga vali sarvehääl, nõnda et kogu rahvas, kes oli leeris, värises.

¹⁷ Siis Mooses viis rahva leerist välja Jumalale vastu; ja nad jäid mäe jalamile.

¹⁸ Ja kogu Siinai mägi suitses, kui Issand laskus sinna tule sees; selle suits tõusis üles nagu sulatusahju suits, ja kogu mägi vabises kõvasti.

¹⁹ Ja sarvehääl läks üha valjemaks; Mooses rääkis ja Jumal vastas temale valjusti.

²⁰ Ja Issand laskus Siinai mäele, mäetippu; Issand kutsus Moosese mäetippu ja Mooses läks üles.

²¹ Ja Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Mine alla, hoiata rahvast, et nad ei tungiks Issanda juurde teda vaatama, et paljud neist ei langeks!

²² Ja preestridki, kes liginevad Issandale, peavad endid pühitsema, et Issand neid ei kohtleks karmilt!'

²³ Ja Mooses ütles Issandale: 'Rahvas ei või tõusta Siinai mäele, sest sina oled meid hoiatanud, öeldes: Märgi piir ümber mäe ja kuuluta see pühaks!'

²⁴ Ja Issand ütles temale: 'Mine alla ja tule taas üles, sina ja Aaron koos sinuga! Preestrid ja rahvas aga ärgu tungigu üles Issanda juurde, et tema neid ei kohtleks karmilt!'

²⁵ Siis Mooses läks alla rahva juurde ja kõneles nendega.

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.