Exodus 18
New King James Version
Jethro’s Advice(A)
18 And (B)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that (C)God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took (D)Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, 3 with her (E)two sons, of whom the name of one was [a]Gershom (for he said, (F)“I have been a [b]stranger in a foreign land”) 4 and the name of the other was [c]Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my (G)help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”); 5 and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at (H)the mountain of God. 6 Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”
7 So Moses (I)went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and (J)kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. 8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord 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 the Lord had (K)delivered them. 9 Then Jethro rejoiced for all the (L)good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, (M)“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is (N)greater than all the gods; (O)for in the very thing in which they [d]behaved (P)proudly, He was above them.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, [e]took a burnt (Q)offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel (R)to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses (S)sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone [f]sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because (T)the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have (U)a [g]difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; (V)you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you [h]counsel, and God will be with you: Stand (W)before God for the people, so that you may (X)bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall (Y)teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and (Z)the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people (AA)able men, such as (AB)fear God, (AC)men of truth, (AD)hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. (AE)Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for (AF)they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their (AG)place in peace.”
24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 And (AH)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. 26 So they judged the people at all times; the (AI)hard[i] cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and (AJ)he went his way to his own land.
Footnotes
- Exodus 18:3 Lit. Stranger There
- Exodus 18:3 sojourner, temporary resident
- Exodus 18:4 Lit. My God Is Help
- Exodus 18:11 acted presumptuously
- Exodus 18:12 So with MT, LXX; Syr., Tg., Vg. offered
- Exodus 18:14 Sit as judge
- Exodus 18:16 dispute
- Exodus 18:19 advice
- Exodus 18:26 difficult matters
Exodus 18
English Standard Version
Jethro's Advice
18 (A)Jethro, (B)the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her (C)two sons. The name of the one was Gershom ((D)for he said, (E)“I have been a sojourner[a] in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer[b] (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the (F)mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I,[c] your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses (G)went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and (H)kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law (I)all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10 Jethro said, (J)“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that (K)the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they (L)dealt arrogantly with the people.”[d] 12 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law (M)before God.
13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When 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, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because (N)the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 (O)when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I (P)make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. (Q)You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall (R)represent the people before God and (S)bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know (T)the way in which they must walk and (U)what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for (V)able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And (W)let them judge the people at all times. (X)Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will (Y)bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be (Z)able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 (AA)Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And (AB)they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and (AC)he went away to his own country.
Footnotes
- Exodus 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner
- Exodus 18:4 Eliezer means My God is help
- Exodus 18:6 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac behold
- Exodus 18:11 Hebrew with them
Exodus 18
Expanded Bible
Jethro Visits Moses
18 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was the priest of Midian [2:15]. He heard about everything that God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites, and how the Lord had led the Israelites out of Egypt. 2 Now Moses had sent [L away] his wife Zipporah [2:21] to Jethro, his father-in-law [4:24–26], 3 along with his two sons. The first son was named Gershom [C sounds like Hebrew for “stranger there”], because when he was born, Moses said, “I am a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] in a foreign country.” 4 The other son was named Eliezer [C sounds like Hebrew for “my God is help”], because when he was born, Moses said, “The God of my father is my help. He saved me from ·the king of Egypt [L the sword of Pharaoh].”
5 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife and his two sons and went to Moses. He was camped in the ·desert [wilderness] near the mountain of God [C Mount Sinai]. 6 Jethro had sent a message ahead to Moses that said, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other’s ·health [well-being], they went into Moses’ tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to ·the king [L Pharaoh] and the Egyptians to help Israel. He told about all the ·problems [hardship] they had faced along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
9 Jethro ·was very happy to hear [rejoiced concerning] all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when he had saved them from the Egyptians. 10 He said, “·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord. He has saved you from the [L hand of the] Egyptians and [L the hand of] ·their king [L Pharaoh], and he has saved the people from the ·power [L hand] of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know the Lord is greater than all gods, because he did this to those who ·looked down on Israel [treated Israel with insolence/arrogance].” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave a whole burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and other sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to Moses’ father-in-law to eat ·the holy meal [L bread/food] together before God.
13 The next day Moses ·solved disagreements [decided cases; L sat as judge] among the people, and the people stood around him from morning until night. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is all this you are doing for the people? Why are you the only one ·to solve disagreements [L sitting]? All the people are standing ·around you [or in line] from morning until night!”
15 Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “It is because the people come to me ·for God’s help in solving their disagreements [L to seek/inquire of God]. 16 When people have a ·disagreement [L matter; case], they come to me, and I ·decide who is right [judge between a person and his neighbor]. I tell them God’s ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [instructions; laws].”
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “·You are not doing this right [L What you are doing is not good]. 18 You and the people who ·come to you [L are with you] will ·get too tired [wear out]. ·This is too much work for you [L The matter is too heavy for you]; you can’t do it by yourself. 19 Now listen to me, and I will give you some advice. I want God to be with you. You must speak to God for the people and tell him about their ·disagreements [cases]. 20 Warn them about the ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·teachings [instructions; laws], and ·teach [make known to] them the ·right way to live [L way they should go] and what they should do. 21 But choose some ·capable [virtuous; noble] men from among the people—men who ·respect [fear] God [Prov. 1:7], who can be trusted, and who ·will not change their decisions for money [L hate dishonest profit]. Make these men officers over the people, to rule over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 22 Let these officers ·solve the disagreements [consider cases; judge] among the people all the time. They can bring the ·hard [L big] cases to you, but they can ·decide [judge] the ·simple [L small] cases themselves. That will make it easier for you, because they will share the work with you. 23 If you do this as God commands you, then you will be able to do your job, and all the people will go ·home [to their place] ·with their disagreements solved [L in peace].”
24 So Moses listened to [L the voice of] his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He ·chose [selected] ·capable [virtuous; noble] men from all the Israelites and made them ·leaders [heads] over the people; they were officers over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26 These officers ·solved disagreements among [judged] the people all the time. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but they ·decided [judged] the ·simple [L small] cases themselves.
27 So Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro went back to his own ·home [L land].
Exodus 18
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 18
Moses Visited by His Father-in-Law.[a] 1 Jethro, the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses, came to know what God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 Jethro brought Zipporah, the wife of Moses, with him, for he had sent her back to him, 3 and also her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for he had said, “I am a stranger in a strange land,” 4 and the other named Eliezer, for he had said, “The God of my father has come to my assistance and has freed me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, and the sons and wife of Moses came to him in the desert where he was camped, near the mountain of God. 6 He had it announced to Moses, “It is I, Jethro, your father-in-law. I have come with your wife and your two sons.”
7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed before him and kissed him. They inquired about each other’s health, and then went into their tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law what the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for the children of Israel, and also about all the difficulties that they had encountered during their journey, and from which the Lord had delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoiced over all the blessings that the Lord had shown to Israel when he liberated it from the hands of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who freed you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of Pharaoh. He delivered this people from the hands of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is the greatest of all gods because of what he has done to the Egyptians. He delivered them from their hands when they acted arrogantly.”
12 Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, offered a burnt offering and sacrificed to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came and ate a banquet with the father-in-law of Moses before God.
13 Moses Institutes the Judges.[b] The next day Moses sat in judgment over the people of Israel. All the people stood before Moses from morning until the evening. 14 Jethro, seeing what he was doing for the people, said to him, “What is this that you do for the people? Why do you sit in judgment alone, while the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15 Moses answered his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire the will of God. 16 When they have some question, they come to me and I judge the matter between them and let them know the statutes of God and his laws.”
17 The father-in-law of Moses told him, “What you are doing is no good. 18 You will surely wear yourself out, you and the people with you, because this job is too difficult for you. You cannot do it alone. 19 Now, listen to me. I wish to give you some advice, and God be with you. You must act as the people’s representative before God and bring their cases before him. 20 You will explain the decrees and the laws to them. You will direct them along the way that they should go and teach the things that they must do. 21 You will also choose virtuous men who fear God from among the people, honest men who are not filled with greed, and you will make them leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 22 They must judge the people at all times. When there is an important matter, they will refer it to you, but they will judge all the minor issues. Thus, they will lighten the burden upon you, for they will carry it with you. 23 If you do this thing and if God commands this of you, then you will be able to continue and this people will arrive in peace at its destination.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s suggestion, and he did what he had suggested that he do. 25 Moses chose capable men from among all the men of Israel, and he appointed them as leaders of the people, as leaders of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26 They judged the people at all times. When there was a difficult matter, they referred it to Moses, but they themselves judged all the minor issues. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and Jethro returned to his own country.
Footnotes
- Exodus 18:1 This passage is probably not in its correct place, since it says that the meeting took place near Mount Sinai. It is part of traditions according to which all links were not broken between the pagan peoples and the God of Israel.
- Exodus 18:13 Set free, Israel becomes an autonomous people that requires them to be organized. Through the counsel of Jethro and his wise advice to Moses, the Midianite people serve as a model for them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
