1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, 3and her two sons, of whom the name of the one was Gershom, for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. 4And 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. 5And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God. 6And he said to Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, have come to thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. 7And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent. 8And Moses told his father-in-law all that LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how LORD delivered them. 9And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10And Jethro said, Blessed be LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that LORD is greater than all gods, yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them. 12And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God. And Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. 13And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning to the evening. 14And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou do to the people? Why do thou sit by thyself, and all the people stand about thee from morning to evening? 15And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor. And I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. 17And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou do is not good. 18Thou will surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee, for the thing is too heavy for thee. Thou are not able to perform it thyself alone. 19Hearken now to my voice. I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee. Be thou for the people toward God, and bring thou the cases to God. 20And thou shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21Moreover thou shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain, and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens, 22and let them judge the people at all seasons. And it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring to thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden 23If thou shall do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shall be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace. 24So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. 25And 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, 26and they judged the people at all seasons. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. 27And Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.