18:1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard¹ about all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, that² he had brought Israel out of Egypt.³

18:2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses wife, after he had sent her back, 18:3 and her two sons, of which the name of the one was Gershom, for he said, “I have been an alien in a foreign land”; 18:4 and the name of the other was Eliezer, for, he said, “The God of my father has been my help,⁴ and delivered⁵ me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

18:5 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with his sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping by⁶ the mountain of God.⁷ 18:6 And he said⁸ to Moses, “I,⁹ your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife, and her two sons with her.” 18:7 And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down, and kissed him;¹⁰ they asked each other¹¹ how they were,¹² and then they went into the tent. 18:8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship¹³ that had come on them¹⁴ along the way, and how¹⁵ Yahweh had delivered them.

18:9 Then Jethro rejoiced¹⁶ because of all the good which Yahweh had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt. 18:10 And Jethro said, “Blessed¹⁷ be Yahweh who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from under the hand of Pharaoh. 18:11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”¹⁸ 18:12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought¹⁹ a burnt offering and sacrifices for God;²⁰ and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food²¹ with the father-in-law of Moses before God.

18:13 And²² on the next day Moses sat to judge²³ the people; and the people stood by Moses from the morning until the evening. 18:14 When his father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this²⁴ that your are doing for the people?²⁵ Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand by you from morning till evening?”

18:15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire²⁶ of God. 18:16 When they have a matter,²⁷ they come to me and I decide²⁸ between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”²⁹

18:17 And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. 18:18 You will surely wear out,³⁰ both you and this people who are with you, for this is too³¹ heavy for you; you are not able to do it by yourself. 18:19 Now listen to me,³² I will give you some advice, and may God be with you: You be for the people a representative to God,³³ and bring³⁴ their disputes³⁵ to God. 18:20 And warn³⁶ them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk,³⁷ and the work which they must do.³⁸ 18:21 But choose³⁹ from the people capable men,⁴⁰ God-fearers,⁴¹ men of truth,⁴² haters of bribes,⁴³ and put them over them as rulers⁴⁴ of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 18:22 And they will judge⁴⁵ the people all the time,⁴⁶ but every great issue⁴⁷ they will bring to you, but every small issue⁴⁸ they themselves will judge, so that⁴⁹ you may make it easier for yourself,⁵⁰and they will bear the burden⁵¹ with you. 18:23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you,⁵² then you will be able⁵³ to endure,⁵⁴ and all these people⁵⁵ will be able to go⁵⁶ to their place satisfied.”⁵⁷

18:24 So Moses listened to⁵⁸ his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said. 18:25 And Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, and rulers over tens. 18:26 And they judged the people at all times; the difficult matters they would bring⁵⁹ to Moses, but every small matter they would judge themselves.

18:27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way,⁶⁰ and so he went⁶¹ to his own land.⁶²