Jethro Visits Moses

18 Now Jethro,^(A) the priest of Midian^(B) and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.^(C)

² After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,^(D) his father-in-law Jethro received her ³ and her two sons.^(E) One son was named Gershom,^[a] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;^{(F) 4} and the other was named Eliezer,^[b](G) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;^(H) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain^(I) of God. ⁶ Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.^{(A) 16} Whenever they have a dispute,^(B) it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”^(C)

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.^{(D) 19} Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.^(E) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes^(F) to him. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions,^(G) and show them the way they are to live^(H) and how they are to behave.^{(I) 21} But select capable men^(J) from all the people—men who fear^(K) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain^(L)—and appoint them as officials^(M) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case^(N) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share^(O) it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders^(P) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.^{(Q) 26} They served as judges^(R) for the people at all times. The difficult cases^(S) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.^(T)

²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.^(U)

¹⁰ I want to know^(A) Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,^(B) becoming like him in his death,^{(C) 11} and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection^(D) from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,^(E) but I press on to take hold^(F) of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.^{(G) 13} Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind^(H) and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on^(I) toward the goal to win the prize^(J) for which God has called^(K) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature^(L) should take such a view of things.^(M) And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.^{(N) 16} Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷ Join together in following my example,^(O) brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.^{(P) 18} For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,^(Q) many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.^{(R) 19} Their destiny^(S) is destruction, their god is their stomach,^(T) and their glory is in their shame.^(U) Their mind is set on earthly things.^{(V) 20} But our citizenship^(W) is in heaven.^(X) And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,^{(Y) 21} who, by the power^(Z) that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies^(AA) so that they will be like his glorious body.^(AB)