Exodus 18

And Jothor the priest of Madiam, Moses' father-in-law, heard all that the Lord did for Israel his own people, for the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt.

And Jothor, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after she had been sent away,

and his two sons; the name of one of them was Gersam, for he said, I was a sojourner in a foreign land;

and the name of the second was Eliezer, for he said, The God of my father is my helper, and he delivered me out of the hand of Pharaoh.

And Jothor, Moses' father-in-law, and the sons and the wife came to Moses in the wilderness, where he was camped at the mountain of God.

And it was announced to Moses, saying, Behold, your father-in-law Jothor is coming to you, and your wife and your two sons with him.

And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down to him and kissed him, and they greeted one another, and he brought him into the tent.

And Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the Lord did to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the hardship that came upon them on the way, and how the Lord delivered them out of the hand of Pharaoh and out of the hand of the Egyptians.

And Jothor was amazed at all the good things that the Lord did for them, in that he delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh.

And Jothor said, Blessed be the Lord, because he delivered his people out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh.

Now I know that the Lord is great above all the gods, for this very reason, that they set upon them.

And Jothor, Moses' father-in-law, took whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

And it came to pass on the next day that Moses sat down to judge the people, and all the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.

And when Jothor 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 before you from morning until late afternoon?

And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to seek a judgment from God.

For whenever a dispute arises among them and they come to me, I judge between each one, and I instruct them in the ordinances of God and his law.

And Moses' father-in-law said to him, You are not doing this thing rightly.

You will be worn out with unbearable exhaustion, both you and all this people who are with you; for this thing is too heavy for you, you will not be able to do it alone.

Now then listen to me, and I will give you counsel, and God will be with you. You be for the people the things toward God, and you shall bring their words up to God;

and you shall solemnly charge them with the ordinances of God and his law, and you shall show them the ways in which they are to walk, and the works that they are to do.

And you yourself look out from all the people for able men, God-fearing, righteous men who hate arrogance, and you shall set them over them as rulers of thousands and rulers of hundreds and rulers of fifties and rulers of tens.

And let them judge the people at all times; and every weighty matter they shall bring up to you, but the lesser judgments they shall judge themselves. So they shall lighten the load from you and shall bear it with you.

If you do this thing, God will strengthen you, and you will be able to stand, and all this people will come to his own place with peace.

And Moses heard the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he said to him.

And Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them rulers over them: rulers of thousands and of hundreds and of fifties and of tens.

And they judged the people at every hour; every weighty matter they brought up to Moses, but every light matter they judged themselves.

And Moses sent away his own father-in-law, and he departed to his own land.