1AND Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt; 2Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took his daughter Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back, 3And her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershon; for he said, I have been an alien in a foreign land; 4And the name of the other was Eliezer; For the God of my fathers, said he, 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 in the wilderness, where he encamped at the mountain of God; 6And Moses was told, Behold, your father-in-law Jethro has come to you with your wife and your two sons accompanying him, 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 went into the tent. 8And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that they had suffered on the journey, and how the LORD had delivered them. 9And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, because he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh. 10And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, for he has delivered his people from under the rule of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods; for despite the counsel which the Egyptians had devised against them, he triumphed over them. 12And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the LORD; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

13And it came to pass the next day that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood by Moses from morning to evening. 14And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said to him, What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit in judgment all alone, and all the people stand by you from morning to evening? 15And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16And when they have a controversy, they come to me; and I judge between one and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.

17And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that you are doing is not good. 18You will surely wear yourself out, both you, and all this people that is with you; for this thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to do it alone. 19Listen now to my voice, I will give you counsel, and God shall be with you; you must become a teacher from God to the people, to bring their disputes before God; 20And you shall warn them to keep the ordinances and laws that you may show them how to conduct themselves and the works that they must do. 21Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men who fear God, truthful men who hate bribes and deceit; and appoint such over them to be officers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22Let them judge the people at all times; and when they have an important matter, let them come to you; but every small matter they shall judge for themselves; so it shall be easier for you, and they shall bear the burden with you. 23If you shall do this thing, and God commands you so, then you shall be able to endure, and all this people shall also go each one to his own house in peace.

24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had told him. 25And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and appointed them officers over the people, officers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26And they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. 27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went to his own land.