Êxodo 18

¹ When Iethro the Priest of Midian Moses father in lawe heard all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and howe the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt,

² Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he hadIt may seem that he sent her back for a time to her father for her impatience, lest she should be a hinderance to his calling, which was so dangerous, (Exo_4:25).sent her back,

³ And her two sonnes, (whereof the one was called Gershom: for he sayd, I haue bene an aliant in a strange land:

⁴ And the name of the other was Eliezer: for the God of my father, said he, was mine helpe, & deliuered 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 theHoreb is called the mount of God, because God did many miracles there. So Peter calls the mount where Christ was transfigured, the holy mount: for by Christ's presence it was holy for a time, (2Pe_1:18).mount of God:

⁶ And heThat is, he sent messengers to say to him.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 meete his father in law, and did obeisance and kissed him, and eche asked other of his welfare: and they came into the tent.

⁸ Then Moses told his father in law all that the Lorde had done vnto Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians for Israels sake, and all the trauaile that had come vnto them by the way, and howe the Lord deliuered them.

⁹ And Iethro reioyced at all the goodnesse, which the Lord had shewed to Israel, and because he had deliuered them out of the hande of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ And Jethro said,By this it is evident that he worshipped the true God, and therefore Moses did not refuse to marry his daughter.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 proudlyFor they that drowned the children of the Israelites, perished themselves by water.[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 lawThey ate in the place, where the sacrifice was offered: for part was burnt, and the rest eaten.before God.

¹³ Now on the morow, when Moses sate to iudge the people, the people stoode about Moses from morning vnto euen.

¹⁴ And when Moses father in law saw all that he did to the people, he sayde, What is this that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thy selfe alone, and all the people stande about thee from morning vnto euen?

¹⁵ And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire ofThat is, to know God's will, and to have justice executed.God:

¹⁶ When they haue a matter, they come vnto me, and I iudge betweene one and another, and declare the ordinances of God, and his lawes.

¹⁷ But Moses father in law said vnto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well.

¹⁸ Thou both weariest thy selfe greatly, & this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heauie for thee: thou art not able to doe it thy selfe alone.

¹⁹ Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people toYou judge in difficult cases, which cannot be decided without consulting with God.God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

²⁰ And admonish them of the ordinances, & of the lawes, & shew them the way, wherein they must walke, and the worke that they must do.

²¹ Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the peopleWhat manner of men ought to be chosen to bear office.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 iudge the people at all seasons: but euery great matter let them bring vnto thee, and let them iudge all small causes: so shall it be easier for thee, when they shal beare the burden with thee.

²³ If thou do this thing, (& God so command thee) both thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shal also go quietly to their place.

²⁴ So MosesGodly counsel should always be obeyed, even if it comes from our inferiors, for to such God often gives wisdom to humble those that are exalted, and to declare that one member has need of another.hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

²⁵ And Moses chose men of courage out of all Israel, and made them heads ouer the people, rulers ouer thousandes, rulers ouer hundreths, rulers ouer fifties, and rulers ouer tennes.

²⁶ And they iudged the people at all seasons, but they brought the hard causes vnto Moses: for they iudged all small matters themselues.

²⁷ And MosesRead (Num_10:29).let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.