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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" /><title>Exodus 18 ESV</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="../topmenuchap/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">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</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">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/exodus/18.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Jethro’s Advice</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> had brought Israel out of Egypt. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner">a</a></sup></span> in a foreign land”), <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>and the name of the other, Eliezer<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Eliezer means My God is help">b</a></sup></span> (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Jethro, 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>And when he sent word to Moses, “I,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac behold">c</a></sup></span> your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Moses 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> 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 <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> had delivered them. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Jethro said, “Blessed be the <span class="divine-name">Lord</span>, 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Now I know that the <span class="divine-name">Lord</span> is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.”<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew with them">d</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>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 before God.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>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?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>when 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>You 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>Now 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, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>and 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Moreover, 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>And 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>If 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.”</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/exodus/18-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">3</span> <i class="catch-word">Gershom</i> sounds like the Hebrew for <i class="catch-word">sojourner</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">4</span> <i class="catch-word">Eliezer</i> means <i>My God is help</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">6</span> Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac <i>behold</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">11</span> Hebrew <i>with them</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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