Book Two

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

To the choirmaster. A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

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 ^(A)the people come to me to inquire of God; ^16 (B)when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I ^(C)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. ^(D)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 ^(E)represent the people before God and ^(F)bring their cases to God, ²⁰ and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know ^(G)the way in which they must walk and ^(H)what they must do. ²¹ Moreover, look for ^(I)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 ^(J)let them judge the people at all times. ^(K)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 ^(L)bear the burden with you. ²³ If you do this, God will direct you, you will be ^(M)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 (N)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 ^(O)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 ^(P)he went away to his own country.

^15 (A)Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, ^(B)knowing that I am put here for ^(C)the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ ^(D)out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that ^(E)through your prayers and ^(F)the help of ^(G)the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope ^(H)that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full ^(I)courage now as always Christ ^(J)will be honored in my body, ^(K)whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me ^(L)to live is Christ, and to die is gain.