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1 | When 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 Israel out of Egypt; |
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2 | Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife,
after he had sent her back, |
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3 | And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom;
for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: |
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4 | And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my
father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the
sword of Pharaoh: |
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5 | And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his
wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the
mount of God: |
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6 | And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come
unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. |
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7 | And 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 came into the tent. |
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8 | And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done
unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all
the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the
LORD delivered them. |
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9 | And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had
done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the
Egyptians. |
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10 | And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you
out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of
Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of
the Egyptians. |
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11 | Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the
thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. |
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12 | And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and
sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of
Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God. |
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13 | And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the
people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto
the evening. |
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14 | 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? |
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15 | And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come
unto me to enquire of God: |
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16 | When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge
between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes
of God, and his laws. |
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17 | And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou
doest is not good. |
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18 | Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is
with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not
able to perform it thyself alone. |
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19 | 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: |
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20 | And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew
them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they
must do. |
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21 | Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men,
such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place
such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: |
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22 | And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be,
that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every
small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for
thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. |
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23 | If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then
thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also
go to their place in peace. |
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24 | So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did
all that he had said. |
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25 | And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them
heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. |
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26 | And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes
they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged
themselves. |
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27 | And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way
into his own land. |
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