Jethro Visits Moses
1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3and her two sons. One son was named Gershom,18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there. for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4and the other was named Eliezer,18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper. for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
9Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
13The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14When 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?”
15Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19Listen 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. 20Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
27Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.
葉特羅看望摩西
1摩西的岳父米甸的祭司葉特羅，聽說上帝為摩西和祂的子民以色列人所做的一切事及如何帶他們出埃及後， 2就帶著女兒西坡拉和兩個外孫去見摩西。西坡拉是摩西的妻子，摩西曾讓她回娘家暫時居住。 3摩西的兩個兒子一個叫革舜，因為摩西說：「我成了在異鄉寄居的人」； 4一個叫以利以謝，因為摩西說：「我父親的上帝幫助我，從法老的刀下拯救了我。」 5摩西的岳父葉特羅帶著摩西的妻子和兩個兒子來到上帝的山見摩西，就是摩西在曠野安營的地方。 6葉特羅事先差人，把他帶著摩西的妻子和兩個兒子要來的消息通知摩西。 7摩西出去迎接岳父，向他下拜，與他親吻，彼此問安，然後大家都進了帳篷。 8摩西把耶和華為拯救以色列人而向法老和埃及人所行的事，以及怎樣救百姓脫離路上遇見的種種困難，都告訴了葉特羅。 9葉特羅為耶和華恩待以色列人、把他們救出埃及而高興， 10便說：「耶和華當受稱頌，因為祂從埃及人和法老手中拯救了你們，把這百姓從埃及人手中拯救了出來。 11我現在知道，耶和華比一切神明都偉大，因為祂懲治了虐待這些百姓的狂妄之徒。」
12摩西的岳父葉特羅說完，便向上帝獻燔祭及其他祭物。亞倫和以色列的長老都來與他一起在上帝面前吃飯。
13第二天，摩西坐著審理百姓的糾紛，百姓從早到晚都站在摩西周圍。 14摩西的岳父葉特羅看見摩西對百姓所行的一切，就對摩西說：「你為什麼這樣處理百姓的事？為什麼你獨自坐著，眾百姓從早到晚都站在你周圍？」 15摩西對岳父說：「因為他們來我這裡求問上帝。 16他們有糾紛就來我這裡，我為雙方定奪是非，教他們認識上帝的律例和法度。」 17摩西的岳父葉特羅勸摩西說：「這不是好方法， 18你和這些百姓都會疲憊不堪，你一個人無法擔當如此繁重的工作。 19你要聽我的勸告，願上帝與你同在。你要做百姓的代表，把案件奏明上帝， 20又要教導他們律例和法度，指示他們當行的道、當做的事。 21此外，你要在民中挑選一些敬畏上帝、有才幹、誠實、正直、憎惡不義之財的人，派他們做千夫長、百夫長、五十夫長和十夫長，管理百姓。 22讓他們隨時為百姓判案，處理小糾紛，遇到大事才由你審理。有他們分擔你的責任，你會更輕省。 23如果你這樣做，並且上帝也這樣吩咐你，你就能承受得住，百姓也可以平安地回家。」
24於是，摩西接納了岳父的建議，依言而行， 25從百姓中挑選有才幹的人，委派他們做百姓的領袖，擔任千夫長、百夫長、五十夫長和十夫長。 26他們負責隨時審理百姓的事，遇到難斷的案件就呈到摩西那裡，自己則審理普通的事。 27之後，摩西為岳父送行，葉特羅就返回了家鄉。
