Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law

18 Now ^(A)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took in Moses’ wife ^(B)Zipporah, after he had sent her away, ³ and her ^(C)two sons, ^[a]one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been ^(D)a stranger in a foreign land.” ⁴ And ^[b]the other was named ^[c](E)Eliezer, for he said, “^(F)The God of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵ Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses ^[d]in the wilderness where he was camped, at ^(G)the mountain of God. ⁶ And he ^[e]sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.” ⁷ Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and ^(H)he bowed down and ^(I)kissed him; and they ^(J)asked each other about their welfare, and went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians ^(K)for Israel’s sake, all the ^(L)hardship that had confronted them on the journey, and how ^(M)the Lord had rescued them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced over all ^(N)the goodness which the Lord had done for Israel, ^[f]in rescuing ^[g]them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ So Jethro said, “^(O)Blessed be the Lord who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that ^(P)the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, ^[h](Q)it was proven when they acted insolently against ^[i]the people.” ^12 (R)Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat ^[j]a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Jethro Counsels Moses

¹³ And it came about the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. ¹⁴ Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me ^(S)to inquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a ^[k](T)dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between someone and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.” ¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law then said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. ^18 (U)You will surely wear out, both yourself and ^[l]these people who are with you, because the ^[m]task is too heavy for you; ^(V)you cannot do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to ^[n]me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. ^[o]You be the people’s representative before God, and you ^(W)bring the ^[p]disputes to God, ^20 (X)then admonish them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them ^(Y)the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. ²¹ Furthermore, you shall ^[q]select out of all the people ^(Z)able men ^(AA)who fear God, men of truth, those who ^(AB)hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, ^[r]of hundreds, ^[s]of fifties, and ^[t]of tens. ²² Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be ^(AC)that they will bring to you every major matter, but they will judge every minor matter themselves. So it will be easier for you, and ^(AD)they will carry the burden with you. ²³ If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to ^[u]endure, and all ^[v]these people also will go to ^[w]their places in peace.”

²⁴ So Moses listened ^[x]to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose ^(AE)able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, ^[y]of hundreds, ^[z]of fifties, and ^[aa]of tens. ²⁶ Then they judged the people at all times; ^(AF)they would bring the difficult matter to Moses, but they would judge every minor matter themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses ^[ab](AG)said goodbye to his father-in-law, and ^[ac]Jethro went his way to his own land.

⁴ Now Deborah, a ^[a]prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. ⁵ She used to ^[b]sit under the ^(A)palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment. ⁶ Now she sent word and summoned ^(B)Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “^[c]The Lord, the God of Israel, has indeed commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. ⁷ I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his ^[d]many troops to the river Kishon, and ^(C)I will hand him over to you.’” ⁸ Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” ⁹ She said, “I will certainly go with you; however, the fame shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, ^(D)for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak summoned ^(E)Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up ^[e](F)with him; Deborah also went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber ^(G)the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the ^[f]father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the ^[g]oak in ^(H)Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

¹² Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. ¹³ Sisera summoned all his chariots, ^(I)nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from ^(J)Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. ¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day on which the Lord has handed Sisera over to you; ^[h]behold, ^(K)the Lord has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. ^15 (L)And the Lord ^[i]routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. ¹⁶ But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; ^(M)not even one was left.

¹⁷ Now Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸ And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a ^[j]rug. ^19 (N)And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a leather bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. ²⁰ And he said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’” ²¹ But Jael, Heber’s wife, ^(O)took a tent peg and ^[k]a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. ²² And behold, while Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he entered ^[l]with her, and behold, Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.

²³ So ^(P)God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan on that day before the sons of Israel. ²⁴ And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed harder and harder upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had eliminated Jabin the king of Canaan.

Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 Now it came about, when the Lord was about to ^(A)bring Elijah up by a ^[a]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah left ^(B)Gilgal with ^(C)Elisha. ² And Elijah said to Elisha, “^(D)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as ^(E)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “^(F)As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ Then ^(G)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel went out to Elisha and said to him, “Are you aware that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[b]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I am aware; say nothing about it.”

⁴ And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please ^(H)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(I)Jericho.” But he said, “^(J)As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ⁵ Then ^(K)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “^(L)Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[c]you today?” And he ^[d]answered, “Yes, I know; say nothing about it.” ⁶ And Elijah said to him, “Please ^(M)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(N)the Jordan.” But he said, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Now ^(O)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ And Elijah ^(P)took his coat, folded it, and ^(Q)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a ^(R)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” ¹⁰ He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you ^(S)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ And as they were walking along and talking, behold, ^(T)a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and they separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up by a ^[e]whirlwind to heaven. ¹² And Elisha was watching it and he was crying out, “^(U)My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see ^[f]Elijah again. Then ^(V)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had ^(W)struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

¹⁵ Now when ^(X)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.

^26 (A)When he came to Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly to associate with the disciples; and yet they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But ^(B)Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had ^(C)seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how ^(D)he had ^(E)spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus. ²⁸ And he was with them, ^[a]moving about freely in Jerusalem, ^(F)speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ And he was talking and arguing with the ^[b](G)Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰ Now when ^(H)the ^[c]brothers learned of it, they brought him down to ^(I)Caesarea and ^(J)sent him away to ^(K)Tarsus.