Exodus 18 (NET)

Exodus 18:1¹Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:2²Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back,Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:3³and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”)Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:4⁴and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said, “The God of my father has been my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”).Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:5⁵Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and his wife, came to Moses in the wilderness where he was camping by the mountain of God.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:6⁶He said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:7⁷Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him; they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:8⁸Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship that had come on them along the way, and how the Lord had delivered them.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:9⁹Jethro rejoiced because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:10¹⁰Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control!Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:11¹¹Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:12¹²Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food with the father-in-law of Moses before God.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:13¹³On the next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:14¹⁴When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:15¹⁵Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:16¹⁶When they have a dispute, it comes to me and I decide between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:17¹⁷Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good!Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:18¹⁸You will surely wear out, both you and these people who are with you, for this is too heavy a burden for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:19¹⁹Now listen to me, I will give you advice, and may God be with you. You be a representative for the people to God, and you bring their disputes to God;Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:20²⁰warn them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:21²¹But you choose from the people capable men, God-fearing men, men of truth, those who hate bribes, and put them over the people as rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:22²²They will judge the people under normal circumstances, and every difficult case they will bring to you, but every small case they themselves will judge, so that you may make it easier for yourself, and they will bear the burden with you.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:23²³If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will be able to go home satisfied.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:24²⁴Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he had said.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:25²⁵Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:26²⁶They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Exodus 18:27²⁷Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and so Jethro went to his own land.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s