1
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And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people -- that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. |
2
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Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, |
3
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with her two sons, of whom the name of one [was] Gershom (for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land") |
4
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and the name of the other [was] Eliezer (for [he said,] "The God of my father [was] my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"); |
5
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and 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. |
6
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Now he had said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her." |
7
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So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about [their] well-being, and they went into the tent. |
8
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And 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 on the way, and [how] the LORD had delivered them. |
9
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Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. |
10
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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, [and] who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. |
11
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"Now I know that the LORD [is] greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, [He was] above them." |
12
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Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and [other] sacrifices [to offer] to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. |
13
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And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. |
14
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So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What [is] this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?" |
15
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And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. |
16
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"When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws." |
17
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So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do [is] not good. |
18
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"Both you and these people who [are] with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing [is] too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. |
19
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"Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. |
20
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"And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. |
21
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"Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place [such] over them [to be] rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. |
22
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"And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be [that] every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear [the burden] with you. |
23
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"If you do this thing, and God [so] commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace." |
24
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So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. |
25
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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. |
26
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So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. |
27
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Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land. |
Exodus 18:1 English Language Bible Words basic statistical display
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