1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how Yehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her away, 3and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land: 4and 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. 5And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God: 6and he said to Moses, I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you, and your wife, and her two sons with her. 7And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other about their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8And Moses told his father-in-law all that Yehovah 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 Yehovah delivered them. 9And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10And Jethro said, Blessed be Yehovah, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that Yehovah is greater than all gods; indeed, in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them. 12And 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. 13And it happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood about Moses from the morning to the evening. 14And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that you do to the people? why do you sit by yourself alone, and all the people stand about you from morning to evening? 15And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God: 16when they have a matter, they come to me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. 17And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, The thing that you do is not good. 18You will surely wear yourself out, both you, and this people who are with you: for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself alone. 19Listen now to my voice, I will give you counsel, and God be with you: be for the people toward God, and bring the causes to God: 20and you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 22and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so it shall be easier for you, and they shall bear the burden with you. 23If you do this thing, and God commands you so, then you shall be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace. 24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. 25And 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. 26And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. 27And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.