Exodus 18 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Jethro’s Advice

(Deu 1:9–18 )

Exo 18:1Jethro, 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.

Exo 18:2

Exo 18:2Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home,

Exo 18:3

Exo 18:3along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner[fn] in a foreign land”),

Exo 18:4

Exo 18:4and the name of the other, Eliezer[fn] (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”).

Exo 18:5

Exo 18:5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God.

Exo 18:6

Exo 18:6And when he sent word to Moses, “I,[fn] your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,”

Exo 18:7

Exo 18:7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.

Exo 18:8

Exo 18:8Then 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 in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.

Exo 18:9

Exo 18:9And 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.

Exo 18:10

Exo 18:10Jethro said, “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.

Exo 18:11

Exo 18:11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.”[fn]

Exo 18:12

Exo 18:12And 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 before God.

Exo 18:13

Exo 18:13The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening.

Exo 18:14

Exo 18:14When 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?”

Exo 18:15

Exo 18:15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God;

Exo 18:16

Exo 18:16when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.”

Exo 18:17

Exo 18:17Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.

Exo 18:18

Exo 18:18You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.

Exo 18:19

Exo 18:19Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,

Exo 18:20

Exo 18:20and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.

Exo 18:21

Exo 18:21Moreover, look for 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.

Exo 18:22

Exo 18:22And let them judge the people at all times. 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 bear the burden with you.

Exo 18:23

Exo 18:23If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

Exo 18:24

Exo 18:24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

Exo 18:25

Exo 18:25Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Exo 18:26

Exo 18:26And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.

Exo 18:27

Exo 18:27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

ESV Footnotes

(18:3)

Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner

(18:4)

Eliezer means My God is help

(18:6)

Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac behold

(18:11)

Hebrew with them

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

See detailed copyright information.

For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.