SPE - Exodus - 18

18:1  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;

18:2  Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he divorced her.

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 strange land:

18:4  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:

18:5  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:

18:6  And he said unto Moses, behold, I thy father-in-law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

18:7  And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance to Moses, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.

18:8  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.

18:9  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.

18:10  And Jethro said, 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.

18:11  Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

18:12  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-law before God.

18:13  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning and unto the evening.

18:14  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 and unto even?

18:15  And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God:

18:16  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.

18:17  And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

18:18  Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

18:19  Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

18:20  And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way in wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

18:21  Moreover thou shalt provide to yourself 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:

18:22  And let them judge the people at all seasons: and 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 the burden with thee.

18:23  If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

18:24  So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. And saying Moses to the people: I alone can't bear you. The LORD God made you many, behold, as the stars of the havens for multitude. LORD God of your fathers increased you a thousand times over, and he blessed you as he spoke. Thus how can I bear burdens of you and strifes of you? Select for yourself men wise and understanding and knowlegeable to tribes of you. And I shall place them in heads of you. And they are answering and they are saying: It is good to do what you have spoken.

18:25  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And officers to tribes of them. And he is commanding with the judges to say: hear between a man and his brother, and you judge righteously between man and between brother of him, and between the sojourner of him. Not you shall respect faces in sentence. Small and great you are hearing. Not you shall be afraid of the face of the man as justice is God's. And matter that is too hard for you you will bring to me and I will hear it. And he is commanding them all words that they should do.

18:26  And they judged the people at all seasons: the great causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

18:27  And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.