1And Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard everything that God had done for Moses and had brought Israel out from Egypt. 2And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after her being sent off, 3and her two sons, of whom one’s name was Gershom, because he said, “I was an alien in a foreign land,” 4and one’s name was Eliezer, “because my father’s God was my help and rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.”* 5And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, and his sons and his wife came to Moses, to the wilderness in which he was camping, at the Mountain of God. 6And he said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law, Jethro, have come to you, and your wife and her two sons with her.” 7And Moses went out to his father-in-law, and he bowed, and he kissed him, and they asked each other how they were, and they came to the tent. 8And Moses told his father-in-law everything that YHWH had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt with regard to Israel, all the hardship that had found them on the way, and YHWH rescued them. 9And Jethro rejoiced over all the good that YHWH had done for Israel, that He had rescued it from Egypt’s hand. 10And Jethro said, “Blessed is YHWH, who rescued you from Egypt’s hand and from Pharaoh’s hand, who rescued the people from under Egypt’s hand: 11now I know that YHWH is bigger than all the gods, because of the thing that they plotted against them.” 12And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron and all of Israel’s elders came to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
13And it was the next day, and Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood by Moses from the morning to the evening. 14And Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, and he said, “What’s this thing that you’re doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and the entire people is standing up by you from morning until evening?”
15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16When they have a matter, it comes to me, and I judge between each one and his companion, and I make known God’s laws and His instructions.”
17And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you’re doing isn’t good. 18You’ll be worn out, both you and this people who are with you, because the thing is too heavy for you. You won’t be able to do it by yourself. 19Now listen to my voice, and I’ll advise you, and may God be with you. You be for the people toward God, and you will bring the matters to God. 20And you’ll enlighten them with the laws and the instructions, and you’ll make known to them the way in which they’ll go and the thing that they’ll do. 21And you will envision, out of all the people, worthy men, who fear God, men of truth, who hate bribery, and you’ll set chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, and chiefs of tens over them. 22And they’ll judge the people at all times. And it will be: they’ll bring every matter that is big to you, and they will judge every matter that is small. And make it lighter on you, and they’ll bear it with you. 23If you’ll do this thing, and YHWH will command you, then you’ll be able to stand, and also this entire people will come to its place in peace.”
24And Moses listened to his father-in-law’s voice and did everything that he had said. 25And Moses chose worthy men out of all of Israel and made them heads over the people: chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, and chiefs of tens. 26And they judged the people at all times. They would bring the matter that was hard to Moses, and they would judge every matter that was small.
27And Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went to his land.