Exodus:18

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* When Jethro , the priest of Midian , Moses ' father in law , heard of all that God had done for Moses , and for Israel his people , and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt ; * Then Jethro , Moses ' father in law , took Zipporah , Moses ' wife , after he had sent her back , * And her two sons ; of which the name of the one was Gershom ; for he said , I have been an foreigner in a strange land : * And the name of the other was Eliezer ; for the God of my father , said he , was mine help , and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh : * And Jethro , Moses ' father in law , came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness , where he encamped at the mount of God : * And he said unto Moses , I your father in law Jethro am come unto you , and your wife , and her two sons with her . * And Moses went out to meet his father in law , and did reverence , and kissed him ; and they asked each other of their welfare ; and they came into the tent . * And Moses told 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 come upon them by the way , and how the LORD delivered them . * And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel , whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians . * And Jethro said , Blessed be the LORD , 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 . * Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods : for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them . * 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 law before God . * And it came to pass on the next day , that Moses sat to judge the people : and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening . * And when Moses ' father in law saw all that he did to the people , he said , What is this thing that you do to the people ? why sit you yourself alone , and all the people stand by you from morning unto even ? * And Moses said unto his father in law , Because the people come unto me to enquire of God : * When they have a matter , they come unto me ; and I judge between one and another , and I do make them know the statutes of God , and his laws . * And Moses ' father in law said unto him , The thing that you do is not good . * You will surely wear away , both you , and this people that is with you : for this thing is too heavy for you ; you are not able to perform it yourself alone . * Hearken now unto my voice , I will give you counsel , and God shall be with you : Be you for the people toward God , that you may bring the causes unto God : * And you shall teach them ordinances and laws , and shall show them the way wherein they must walk , and the work that they must do . * Moreover you shall provide 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 : * And let them judge the people at all seasons : and it shall be , that every great matter they shall bring unto you , but every small matter they shall judge : so shall it be easier for yourself , and they shall bear the burden with you . * If you shall do this thing , and God command you so , then you shall be able to endure , and all this people shall also go to their place in peace . * So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law , and did all that he had said . * And 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 . * And they judged the people at all seasons : the hard causes they brought unto Moses , but every small matter they judged themselves . * And Moses let his father in law depart ; and he went his way into his own land .

---