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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;
02 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took
Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her
back,
03 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:
04 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:
05 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:
06 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in
law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and
her two sons with her.
07 And Moses went out to meet his father in
law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they
asked each other of their welfare; and they came
into the tent.
08 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.
09 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.
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.
11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than
all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt
proudly 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 law before God.
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 unto the evening.
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 unto even?
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15 And Moses said unto his father in law,
Because the people come unto me to enquire of
God:
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.
17 And Moses' father in law said unto him,
The thing that thou doest is not good.
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.
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:
20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and
laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they
must walk, and the work that they must do.
21 Moreover thou shalt 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:
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.
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.
24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his
father in law, and did all that he had said.
25 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 And they judged the people at all
seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses,
but every small matter they judged themselves.
27 And Moses let his father in law depart;
and he went his way into his own land.
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