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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Exodus 18 New American Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/exodus/18.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/exodus/18-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NABRE</a> > Exodus 18</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../exodus/17.htm" title="Exodus 17">◄</a> Exodus 18 <a href="../exodus/19.htm" title="Exodus 19">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New American Bible Revised Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><section id="ch02018" class="chapter"> <h1 id="cn02018" class="cn"></h1> <p class="pf"><span class="hemb">Meeting with Jethro.</span> <span id="v02018001" class="ver">1</span>Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel: how the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had brought Israel out of Egypt. <span id="v02018002" class="ver">2</span>So his father-in-law Jethro took along Zipporah, Moses’ wife—now this was after Moses had sent her back—<a id="rfn02018002-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02018002-1">*</a> <span id="v02018003" class="ver">3</span>and her two sons. One of these was named Gershom;<a id="ren02018003-a" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02018003-a">a</a> for he said, “I am a resident alien in a foreign land.” <span id="v02018004" class="ver">4</span>The other was named Eliezer; for he said, “The God of my father is my help; he has rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.” <span id="v02018005" class="ver">5</span>Together with Moses’ wife and sons, then, his father-in-law Jethro came to him in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God,<a id="rfn02018005-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02018005-1">*</a> <span id="v02018006" class="ver">6</span>and he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons.”</p> <p><span id="v02018007" class="ver">7</span>Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and then kissed him. Having greeted each other, they went into the tent. <span id="v02018008" class="ver">8</span>Moses then told his father-in-law of all that the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for the sake of Israel, and of all the hardships that had beset them on their journey, and how the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had rescued them. <span id="v02018009" class="ver">9</span>Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness that the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had shown Israel in rescuing them from the power of the Egyptians. <span id="v02018010" class="ver">10</span>“Blessed be the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>,” he said, “who has rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh. <span id="v02018011" class="ver">11</span>Now I know that the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> is greater than all the gods; for he rescued the people from the power of the Egyptians when they treated them arrogantly.” <span id="v02018012" class="ver">12</span>Then Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, brought a burnt offering<a id="rfn02018012-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02018012-1">*</a> and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to share with Moses’ father-in-law in the meal before God.</p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">Appointment of Minor Judges.</span> <span id="v02018013" class="ver">13</span>The next day Moses sat in judgment for the people, while they stood around him from morning until evening. <span id="v02018014" class="ver">14</span>When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this business that you are conducting for the people? Why do you sit alone while all the people have to stand about you from morning till evening?” <span id="v02018015" class="ver">15</span>Moses answered his father-in-law, “The people come to me to consult God. <span id="v02018016" class="ver">16</span>Whenever they have a disagreement, they come to me to have me settle the matter between them and make known to them God’s statutes and instructions.”</p> <p><span id="v02018017" class="ver">17</span>“What you are doing is not wise,” Moses’ father-in-law replied. <span id="v02018018" class="ver">18</span>“You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. The task is too heavy for you;<a id="ren02018018-b" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02018018-b">b</a> you cannot do it alone. <span id="v02018019" class="ver">19</span><a id="rfn02018019-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02018019-1">*</a> Now, listen to me, and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. Act as the people’s representative before God, and bring their disputes to God. <span id="v02018020" class="ver">20</span>Enlighten them in regard to the statutes and instructions, showing them how they are to conduct themselves and what they are to do. <span id="v02018021" class="ver">21</span>But you should also look among all the people for able and God-fearing men, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and set them over the people as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.<a id="ren02018021-c" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en02018021-c">c</a> <span id="v02018022" class="ver">22</span>Let these render decisions for the people in all routine cases. Every important case they should refer to you, but every lesser case they can settle themselves. Lighten your burden by letting them bear it with you! <span id="v02018023" class="ver">23</span>If you do this, and God so commands you,<a id="rfn02018023-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn02018023-1">*</a> you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people, too, will go home content.”</p> <p><span id="v02018024" class="ver">24</span>Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said. <span id="v02018025" class="ver">25</span>He picked out able men from all Israel and put them in charge of the people as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. <span id="v02018026" class="ver">26</span>They rendered decisions for the people in all routine cases. The more difficult cases they referred to Moses, but all the lesser cases they settled themselves. <span id="v02018027" class="ver">27</span>Then Moses said farewell to his father-in-law, who went off to his own country.</p> </section> <br /><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="intro.htm"><span class="ac">Book Introduction</span></a></h1><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="footnotes.htm"><span class="ac">Footnotes</span></a></h1></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the <i>New American Bible, revised edition</i> © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. 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