1Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
3and her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."
4The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "The God of my father was my help, and rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh."
5So Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with Moses' sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was camped at the mountain of God.
6He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you, and your wife with her two sons."
7So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed down and kissed him, and they asked each other how they were. Then they went into the tent.
8Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake. He told him about all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had rescued them.
9Jethro was glad for all the good the LORD had done for Israel, whom he had rescued from the hand of the Egyptians.
10Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh. He has rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians."
11"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods. In the very thing in which they acted proudly, he was above them."
12Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
13The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.
14When 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 do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?"
15Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to ask about God."
16"When they have a dispute, they come to me. I judge between one man and another, and I make known to them the statutes of God and his laws."
17Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good."
18"You will surely wear yourself out, you and this people with you. This work is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone."
19"Listen now to my voice. I will give you advice, and God will be with you. You stand for the people before God, and bring their cases to God."
20"Teach them the rules and the laws. Show them the way they must walk and the work they must do."
21"Also, choose out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth who hate greed. Put such men over the people, as rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens."
22"Let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will carry the burden with you."
23"If you do this, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will also go to their place in peace."
24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
25Moses 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.
26They judged the people at all times. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27Then Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went on his way to his own land.