Exodus 18

Exodus Chapter 18 KJV

1Jethro bringeth to Moses his wife and two sons. 7Moses entertaineth him. 9Jethro blesseth God for his goodness to Israel. 13He counselleth Moses to provide fit persons, who may assist him in judging the people; his counsel is accepted. 27Jethro departeth.
1 When 1Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, 2heard 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 1Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had 2sent her back,
3 And her two sons; of which the 1name of the one was aGershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:
4 And the name of the other was aEliezer; 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 1mount 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 1meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their awelfare; and they came into the tent.
8 And Moses 1told 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 acome upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them.
9 And Jethro 1rejoiced 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, 1Blessed 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 1know that the 2Lord is 3greater than all gods: 4for in the thing wherein they 5dealt proudly he was above them.
12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, 1took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to 2eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.
13 ¶ And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses 1sat 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 1enquire of God:
16 When they have 1a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between aone and another, and I do 2make 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 aThou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; 1thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and 1God shall be with thee: Be thou 2for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the 3causes unto God:
20 And thou shalt 1teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them 2the way wherein they must walk, and the 3work that they must do.
21 Moreover thou shalt 1provide 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 1let them judge the people at all seasons: 2and 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 3the burden with thee.
23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God 1command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to 2their place in peace.
24 So Moses 1hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and 2did all that he had said.
25 And Moses 1chose 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 1And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
Exodus 18