Exodus 18:1-12

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Jethro’s Visit

18 Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian,^(A) heard about everything that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

² Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah,^(B) Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, ³ along with her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (because Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”)^{[a](C) 4} and the other Eliezer (because he had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword”).^[b]

⁵ Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God.^{(D) 6} He sent word to Moses, “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,^(E) and then kissed him. They asked each other how they had been^[c] and went into the tent. ⁸ Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that confronted them on the way, and how the Lord delivered them.^(F)

⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when He rescued them from the power of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ “Praise the Lord,”^(G) Jethro exclaimed, “who rescued you from Pharaoh and the power of the Egyptians and snatched the people from the power of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods, because He did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.”^[d](H)

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