Exodus
Exodus 18
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Exodus 18 — Scripture text (King James Version)
When , the priest of , Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for , and for his people, and that the LORD had brought out of ; Then , Moses’ father in law, took , Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, And her two sons; of which the name of the one was ; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: And the name of the other was ; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the of : And , Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: And he said unto , I thy father in law am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. And 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. And told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto and to the for ’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them. And rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to , whom he had delivered out of the hand of the . And said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the , and out of the hand of , who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the . Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. And , Moses’ father in law, took a and sacrifices for God: and came, and all the elders of , to eat bread with ’ father in law before God. And it came to pass the morrow, that sat to judge the people: and the people stood by from the morning unto the evening. And when ’ 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? And said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: 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. And ’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. 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. 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: 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. 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: 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 the burden with thee. 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. So hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. And chose able men out of all , and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto , but every small matter they judged themselves. And let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.