Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” New Living Translation When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?” English Standard Version 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?” Berean Standard Bible When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?” King James Bible And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? New King James Version 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?” New American Standard Bible Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” NASB 1995 Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?” NASB 1977 Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?” Legacy Standard Bible And Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, so he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?” Amplified Bible When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting alone [as a judge] with all the people standing around you from dawn to dusk?” Christian Standard Bible When Moses’s father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening? ” Holman Christian Standard Bible When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this thing you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?” American Standard Version And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even? Aramaic Bible in Plain English And the Father in Law of Moshe saw everything that he did for the people and he said to him, “What is this matter that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone and all the people stand over from you from dawn and unto evening?” Brenton Septuagint Translation And Jothor having seen all that Moses did to the people, says, What is this that thou doest to the people? wherefore sittest thou alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning till evening? Contemporary English Version Jethro saw how much Moses had to do for the people, and he asked, "Why are you the only judge? Why do you let these people crowd around you from morning till evening?" Douay-Rheims Bible And when his kinsman had seen all things that he did among the people, he said: What is it that thou dost among the people? Why sittest thou alone, and all the people wait from morning till night. English Revised Version And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even? GOD'S WORD® Translation When Moses' father-in-law saw everything Moses was doing for the people, he asked, "Why are you doing this for the people? Why do you sit here alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?" Good News Translation When Jethro saw everything that Moses had to do, he asked, "What is all this that you are doing for the people? Why are you doing this all alone, with people standing here from morning till night to consult you?" International Standard Version 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 alone sit as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning until evening?" JPS Tanakh 1917 And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said: 'What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even?' Literal Standard Version and the father-in-law of Moses sees all that he is doing for the people and says, “What [is] this thing which you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people standing by you from morning until evening?” Majority Standard Bible When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?” New American Bible 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?” NET Bible 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 are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?" New Revised Standard Version 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, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?” New Heart English Bible When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?" Webster's Bible Translation And when Moses's father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning to evening? World English Bible When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, “What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?” Young's Literal Translation and the father-in-law of Moses seeth all that he is doing to the people, and saith, 'What is this thing which thou art doing to the people? wherefore art thou sitting by thyself, and all the people standing by thee from morning till evening?' Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Jethro Advises Moses13The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening. 14When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?” 15“Because the people come to me to inquire of God,” Moses replied.… Cross References Exodus 18:13 The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening. Exodus 18:15 "Because the people come to me to inquire of God," Moses replied. Treasury of Scripture And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that you do to the people? why sit you yourself alone, and all the people stand by you from morning to even? no reference Jump to Previous Alone Evening Father-In-Law Judge Law Morning Moses Moses's Seated Sit Sittest Sitting Stand Standing Thyself Waiting WhereforeJump to Next Alone Evening Father-In-Law Judge Law Morning Moses Moses's Seated Sit Sittest Sitting Stand Standing Thyself Waiting WhereforeExodus 18 1. Jethro brings his wife and two sons to Moses7. Moses entertains him, and relates the goodness of the Lord 9. Jethro rejoices, blesses God, and offers sacrifice 13. He gives good counsel, which is accepted 27. Jethro departs (14) Why sittest thou thyself alone?--The emphatic word is "alone." Why dost thou not, Jethro means, devolve a part of the duty upon others?Verse 14. - Why sittest thou thyself alone etc. A perverse ingenuity has discovered that the emphatic words in this passage are "sittest" and "stand," Jethro having blamed Moses for humiliating the people by requiring them to stand up while he himself sat! But the context makes it abundantly clear that what Jethro really blames, is Moses sitting alone and judging the whole people single-handed. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew When [his]מֹשֶׁ֔ה (mō·šeh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver father-in-law חֹתֵ֣ן (ḥō·ṯên) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 2859: To give, away in marriage, to contract affinity by marriage saw וַיַּרְא֙ (way·yar) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7200: To see all כָּל־ (kāl-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every that אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-) Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that [Moses] ה֥וּא (hū) Pronoun - third person masculine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are was doing עֹשֶׂ֖ה (‘ō·śeh) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 6213: To do, make for the people, לָעָ֑ם (lā·‘ām) Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock he asked, וַיֹּ֗אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “What מָֽה־ (māh-) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what is this הַזֶּה֙ (haz·zeh) Article | Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that that אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that you are אַתָּ֤ה (’at·tāh) Pronoun - second person masculine singular Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you doing עֹשֶׂה֙ (‘ō·śeh) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 6213: To do, make for the people? לָעָ֔ם (lā·‘ām) Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock Why מַדּ֗וּעַ (mad·dū·a‘) Interrogative Strong's 4069: Why? for what reason? do you אַתָּ֤ה (’at·tāh) Pronoun - second person masculine singular Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you sit יוֹשֵׁב֙ (yō·wō·šêḇ) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry alone [as judge], לְבַדֶּ֔ךָ (lə·ḇad·de·ḵā) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 910: Isolation, separation with all וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the people הָעָ֛ם (hā·‘ām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock standing נִצָּ֥ב (niṣ·ṣāḇ) Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5324: To take one's stand, stand around עָלֶ֖יךָ (‘ā·le·ḵā) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against you from מִן־ (min-) Preposition Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of morning בֹּ֥קֶר (bō·qer) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1242: Dawn, morning till עַד־ (‘aḏ-) Preposition Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while evening?� עָֽרֶב׃ (‘ā·reḇ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 6153: Evening Links Exodus 18:14 NIVExodus 18:14 NLT Exodus 18:14 ESV Exodus 18:14 NASB Exodus 18:14 KJV Exodus 18:14 BibleApps.com Exodus 18:14 Biblia Paralela Exodus 18:14 Chinese Bible Exodus 18:14 French Bible Exodus 18:14 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 18:14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he (Exo. Ex) |