# Exodus 18 (New King James Version) Jethro's Advice ##### Chapter 18 ###### 1 And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people--that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ###### 2 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, ###### 3 with her two sons, of whom the name of one _was_ Gershom (for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land") ###### 4 and the name of the other _was_ Eliezer (for _he said,_ "The God of my father _was_ my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"); ###### 5 and 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. ###### 6 Now he had said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her." ###### 7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about _their_ well-being, and they went into the tent. ###### 8 And 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 on the way, and _how_ the Lord had delivered them. ###### 9 Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. ###### 10 And Jethro said, "Blessed _be_ the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, _and_ who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ###### 11 Now I know that the Lord _is_ greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, _He was_ above them." ###### 12 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and _other_ sacrifices _to offer_ to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. ###### 13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. ###### 14 So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What _is_ this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?" ###### 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God. ###### 16 When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws." ###### 17 So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do _is_ not good. ###### 18 Both you and these people who _are_ with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing _is_ too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. ###### 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. ###### 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. ###### 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place _such_ over them _to be_ rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ###### 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be _that_ every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear _the burden_ with you. ###### 23 If you do this thing, and God _so_ commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace." ###### 24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. ###### 25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ###### 26 So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. ###### 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.