Exodus 18

¹ Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses' father-in-law, heard about everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

² After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had taken her in,

³ along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land";

⁴ and the other was named Eliezer, for he had said, "My father's God was my helper; he rescued me from Pharaoh's sword."

⁵ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came to Moses in the desert, where he was camped near the mountain of God, bringing Moses' wife and two sons.

⁶ Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."

⁷ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.

⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had rescued them.

⁹ Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ He said, "Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

¹¹ Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, for he did this when they treated Israel arrogantly."

¹² Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.

¹³ The next day Moses sat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.

¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"

¹⁵ Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will.

¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them God's decrees and instructions."

¹⁷ Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good.

¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

¹⁹ Now listen to me. I will give you advice, and may God be with you. You are to represent the people before God and bring their disputes to him.

²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and the duties they are to carry out.

²¹ But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.

²³ If you do this and God so commands you, then you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

²⁶ They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.