Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. New Living Translation Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people's representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. English Standard Version 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, Berean Study Bible Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him. New American Standard Bible "Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people's representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, King James Bible Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: Christian Standard Bible Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to him. Contemporary English Version God will help you if you follow my advice. You should be the one to speak to God for the people, Good News Translation Now let me give you some good advice, and God will be with you. It is right for you to represent the people before God and bring their disputes to him. Holman Christian Standard Bible Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to Him. International Standard Version Now listen to me. I'll advise you, and may God be with you. You are to represent the people before God and bring the disputes to God. NET Bible Now listen to me, I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God, and you bring their disputes to God; New Heart English Bible Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God. GOD'S WORD® Translation Now listen to me, and I'll give you some advice. May God be with you! You must be the people's representative to God and bring their disagreements to him. JPS Tanakh 1917 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people before God, and bring thou the causes unto God. New American Standard 1977 “Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, Jubilee Bible 2000 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people before God that thou may submit the causes unto God. King James 2000 Bible Hearken now unto my voice, I will give you counsel, and God shall be with you: Represent the people before God, that you may bring the causes unto God: American King James Version Listen now to my voice, I will give you counsel, and God shall be with you: Be you for the people to God-ward, that you may bring the causes to God: American Standard Version Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God: Brenton Septuagint Translation Now then hearken to me, and I will advise thee, and God shall be with thee: be thou to the people in the things pertaining to God, and thou shalt bring their matters to God. Douay-Rheims Bible But hear my words and counsels, and God shall be with thee. Be thou to the people in those things that pertain to God, to bring their words to him: Darby Bible Translation Hearken now to my voice: I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee. Be thou for the people with God, and bring the matters before God; English Revised Version Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God: Webster's Bible Translation Hearken now to my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people toward God, that thou mayest bring the causes to God: World English Bible Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God. Young's Literal Translation 'Now, hearken to my voice, I counsel thee, and God is with thee: be thou for the people over-against God, and thou hast brought in the things unto God; Study Bible Jethro Advises Moses…18Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone. 19Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him. 20Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do.… Cross References Numbers 27:5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD, Exodus 18:20 Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do. Treasury of Scripture Listen now to my voice, I will give you counsel, and God shall be with you: Be you for the people to God-ward, that you may bring the causes to God: hearken Exodus 18:24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. God shall Exodus 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. Exodus 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. Genesis 39:2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. be thou Exodus 18:15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God: Exodus 4:16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. Exodus 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. bring Numbers 27:5 And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. Lexicon Nowעַתָּ֞ה (‘at·tāh) Adverb Strong's Hebrew 6258: At this time listen to me; שְׁמַ֤ע (šə·ma‘) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 8085: To hear intelligently I will give you some advice, אִיעָ֣צְךָ֔ (’î·‘ā·ṣə·ḵā) Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular | second person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 3289: To advise, to deliberate, resolve and may God אֱלֹהִ֖ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's Hebrew 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative be וִיהִ֥י (wî·hî) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be with you. עִמָּ֑ךְ (‘im·māḵ) Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 5973: With, equally with You אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh) Pronoun - second person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 859: Thou and thee, ye and you must be הֱיֵ֧ה (hĕ·yêh) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be the people’s representative לָעָ֗ם (lā·‘ām) Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock before מ֚וּל (mūl) Preposition Strong's Hebrew 4136: Abrupt, a precipice, the front, opposite God הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's Hebrew 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative and bring וְהֵבֵאתָ֥ (wə·hê·ḇê·ṯā) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 935: To come in, come, go in, go their causes הַדְּבָרִ֖ים (had·də·ḇā·rîm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's Hebrew 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's Hebrew 413: Near, with, among, to Him. הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's Hebrew 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative (19) God shall be with thee.--Rather, may Go be with thee. May He give thee wisdom to direct the course aright. Be thou for the people to God-ward.--Be the person, i.e., to bring before God whatever needs to be brought before Him. Continue both to act as representative of the people towards God, and as representative of God towards the people. Take all difficult causes to Him, and pronounce to the people His decision upon them. Be also the expounder to the people of God's laws and ordinances; be their moral instructor, and the guide of their individual actions (Exodus 18:20). All this is quite compatible with the change which I am about to recommend to thee. Verse 19. - I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee. Rather - "And may God be with thee!" May God incline thine heart to accept my counsel and act upon it. Be thou for the people to God-ward, etc. "Continue," i.e., as at present, to be the intermediary between God and the people - still be the whole and sole source of legislative power (ver. 20), and still be the fount and origin of judicial authority; but commit the actual decision of the lighter causes to others chosen by thyself for the office (vers. 21, 22). The separation of the legislative and judicial functions was well known in Egypt, where the kings alone made new laws (Herod. 2:109, 136, 177, etc.), but causes were ordinarily determined by a body of judges. Bring the causes unto God. In difficult cases, Moses actually laid the cause before God, and obtained directions from God as to the manner in which he was to decide it. See Numbers 27:5-11. 18:13-27 Here is the great zeal and the toil of Moses as a magistrate. Having been employed to redeem Israel out of the house of bondage, he is a further type of Christ, that he is employed as a lawgiver and a judge among them. If the people were as quarrelsome one with another as they were with God, no doubt Moses had many causes brought before him. This business Moses was called to; it appears that he did it with great care and kindness. The meanest Israelite was welcome to bring his cause before him. Moses kept to his business from morning to night. Jethro thought it was too much for him to undertake alone; also it would make the administration of justice tiresome to the people. There may be over-doing even in well-doing. Wisdom is profitable to direct, that we may neither content ourselves with less than our duty, nor task ourselves beyond our strength. Jethro advised Moses to a better plan. Great men should not only study to be useful themselves, but contrive to make others useful. Care must be taken in the choice of the persons admitted into such a trust. They should be men of good sense, that understood business, and that would not be daunted by frowns or clamours, but abhorred the thought of a bribe. Men of piety and religion; such as fear God, who dare not to do a base thing, though they could do it secretly and securely. The fear of God will best fortify a man against temptations to injustice. Moses did not despise this advice. Those are not wise, who think themselves too wise to be counselled.Jump to Previous Advice Cases Causes Counsel Disputes Ear God-Ward Hearken Matters Mayest Over-Against People's Represent Representative Suggestion VoiceJump to Next Advice Cases Causes Counsel Disputes Ear God-Ward Hearken Matters Mayest Over-Against People's Represent Representative Suggestion VoiceLinks Exodus 18:19 NIVExodus 18:19 NLT Exodus 18:19 ESV Exodus 18:19 NASB Exodus 18:19 KJV Exodus 18:19 Bible Apps Exodus 18:19 Biblia Paralela Exodus 18:19 Chinese Bible Exodus 18:19 French Bible Exodus 18:19 German Bible Alphabetical: advice and be before bring counsel disputes give God him I Listen may me must now people's representative some the their to will with you OT Law: Exodus 18:19 Listen now to my voice (Exo. Ex) Christian Bible Study Resources, Dictionary, Concordance and Search Tools |