Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all
that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD
had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law,
had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, along
with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I
have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), and the name of the
other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and
delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). Jethro, Moses' father-in-
law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness
where he was encamped at the mountain of God. And when he sent word
to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your
wife and her two sons with her,” Moses went out to meet his father-
in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of
their welfare and went into the tent. Then Moses told his father-
in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians
for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the
way, and how the LORD had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for
all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had
delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of
the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has
delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I
know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair
they dealt arrogantly with the people.” And Jethro, Moses' father-
in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron
came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-
in-law before God.
The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood
around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses' father-in-law
saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this
that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all
the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses
said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to
inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I
decide between one person and another, and I make them know the
statutes of God and his laws.” Moses' father-in-law said to him,
“What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will
certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you.
You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you
advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before
God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the
statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they
must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from
all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a
bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands,
of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people
at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any
small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for
you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God
will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people
also will go to their place in peace.”
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all
that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made
them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of
fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any
hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided
themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went
away to his own country.
