1فَسَمِعَ يَثْرُونُ كَاهِنُ مِدْيَانَ، حَمُو مُوسَى، كُلَّ مَا صَنَعَ اللَّهُ إِلَى مُوسَى وَإِلَى إِسْرَائِيلَ شَعْبِهِ، أَنَّ الرَّبَّ أَخْرَجَ إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ مِصْرَ.2فَأَخَذَ يَثْرُونُ حَمُو مُوسَى صَفُّورَةَ امْرَأَةَ مُوسَى بَعْدَ صَرْفِهَا3وَابْنَيْهَا، اللَّذَيْنِ اسْمُ أَحَدِهِمَا جَرْشُومُ لأَنَّهُ قَالَ، كُنْتُ نَزِيلاً فِي أَرْضٍ غَرِيبَةٍ.4وَاسْمُ الآخَرِ أَلِيعَازَرُ لأَنَّهُ قَالَ، إِلَهُ أَبِي كَانَ عَوْنِي وَأَنْقَذَنِي مِنْ سَيْفِ فِرْعَوْنَ.5وَأَتَى يَثْرُونُ حَمُو مُوسَى وَابْنَاهُ وَامْرَأَتُهُ إِلَى مُوسَى إِلَى الْبَرِّيَّةِ حَيْثُ كَانَ نَازِلاً عِنْدَ جَبَلِ اللَّهِ.6فَقَالَ لِمُوسَى، أَنَا حَمُوكَ يَثْرُونُ، آتٍ إِلَيْكَ وَامْرَأَتُكَ وَابْنَاهَا مَعَهَا.7فَخَرَجَ مُوسَى لاِسْتِقْبَالِ حَمِيهِ وَسَجَدَ وَقَبَّلَهُ. وَسَأَلَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ سَلاَمَتِهِ. ثُمَّ دَخَلاَ إِلَى الْخَيْمَةِ.8فَقَصَّ مُوسَى عَلَى حَمِيهِ كُلَّ مَا صَنَعَ الرَّبُّ بِفِرْعَوْنَ وَالْمِصْرِيِّينَ مِنْ أَجْلِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، وَكُلَّ الْمَشَقَّةِ الَّتِي أَصَابَتْهُمْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ فَخَلَّصَهُمُ الرَّبُّ.9فَفَرِحَ يَثْرُونُ بِجَمِيعِ الْخَيْرِ الَّذِي صَنَعَهُ إِلَى إِسْرَائِيلَ الرَّبُّ الَّذِي أَنْقَذَهُ مِنْ أَيْدِي الْمِصْرِيِّينَ.10وَقَالَ يَثْرُونُ، مُبَارَكٌ الرَّبُّ الَّذِي أَنْقَذَكُمْ مِنْ أَيْدِي الْمِصْرِيِّينَ وَمِنْ يَدِ فِرْعَوْنَ. اَلَّذِي أَنْقَذَ الشَّعْبَ مِنْ تَحْتِ أَيْدِي الْمِصْرِيِّينَ.11الآنَ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الآلِهَةِ، لأَنَّهُ فِي الشَّيْءِ الَّذِي بَغَوْا بِهِ كَانَ عَلَيْهِمْ.12فَأَخَذَ يَثْرُونُ حَمُو مُوسَى مُحْرَقَةً وَذَبَائِحَ لِلَّهِ. وَجَاءَ هَارُونُ وَجَمِيعُ شُيُوخِ إِسْرَائِيلَ لِيَأْكُلُوا طَعَاماً مَعَ حَمِي مُوسَى أَمَامَ اللَّهِ.13وَحَدَثَ فِي الْغَدِ أَنَّ مُوسَى جَلَسَ لِيَقْضِيَ لِلشَّعْبِ. فَوَقَفَ الشَّعْبُ عِنْدَ مُوسَى مِنَ الصَّبَاحِ إِلَى الْمَسَاءِ.14فَلَمَّا رَأَى حَمُو مُوسَى كُلَّ مَا هُوَ صَانِعٌ لِلشَّعْبِ، قَالَ، مَا هَذَا الأَمْرُ الَّذِي أَنْتَ صَانِعٌ لِلشَّعْبِ. مَا بَالُكَ جَالِساً وَحْدَكَ وَجَمِيعُ الشَّعْبِ وَاقِفٌ عِنْدَكَ مِنَ الصَّبَاحِ إِلَى الْمَسَاءِ.15فَقَالَ مُوسَى لِحَمِيهِ، إِنَّ الشَّعْبَ يَأْتِي إِلَيَّ لِيَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ.16إِذَا كَانَ لَهُمْ دَعْوَى يَأْتُونَ إِلَيَّ فَأَقْضِي بَيْنَ الرَّجُلِ وَصَاحِبِهِ، وَأُعَرِّفُهُمْ فَرَائِضَ اللَّهِ وَشَرَائِعَهُ.17فَقَالَ حَمُو مُوسَى لَهُ، لَيْسَ جَيِّداً الأَمْرُ الَّذِي أَنْتَ صَانِعٌ.18إِنَّكَ تَكِلُّ أَنْتَ وَهَذَا الشَّعْبُ الَّذِي مَعَكَ جَمِيعاً، لأَنَّ الأَمْرَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْكَ. لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَصْنَعَهُ وَحْدَكَ.19اَلآنَ اسْمَعْ لِصَوْتِي فَأَنْصَحَكَ. فَلْيَكُنِ اللَّهُ مَعَكَ. كُنْ أَنْتَ لِلشَّعْبِ أَمَامَ اللَّهِ، وَقَدِّمْ أَنْتَ الدَّعَاوِيَ إِلَى اللَّهِ،20وَعَلِّمْهُمُ الْفَرَائِضَ وَالشَّرَائِعَ وَعَرِّفْهُمُ الطَّرِيقَ الَّذِي يَسْلُكُونَهُ وَالْعَمَلَ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُونَهُ.21وَأَنْتَ تَنْظُرُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الشَّعْبِ ذَوِي قُدْرَةٍ خَائِفِينَ اللَّهَ أُمَنَاءَ مُبْغِضِينَ الرَّشْوَةَ، وَتُقِيمُهُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ رُؤَسَاءَ أُلُوفٍ وَرُؤَسَاءَ مِئَاتٍ وَرُؤَسَاءَ خَمَاسِينَ وَرُؤَسَاءَ عَشَرَاتٍ،22فَيَقْضُونَ لِلشَّعْبِ كُلَّ حِينٍ. وَيَكُونُ أَنَّ كُلَّ الدَّعَاوِي الْكَبِيرَةِ يَجِيئُونَ بِهَا إِلَيْكَ. وَكُلَّ الدَّعَاوِي الصَّغِيرَةِ يَقْضُونَ هُمْ فِيهَا. وَخَفِّفْ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ، فَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ مَعَكَ.23إِنْ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا الأَمْرَ وَأَوْصَاكَ اللَّهُ تَسْتَطِيعُ الْقِيَامَ. وَكُلُّ هَذَا الشَّعْبِ أَيْضاً يَأْتِي إِلَى مَكَانِهِ بِالسَّلاَمِ.24فَسَمِعَ مُوسَى لِصَوْتِ حَمِيهِ وَفَعَلَ كُلَّ مَا قَالَ.25وَاخْتَارَ مُوسَى ذَوِي قُدْرَةٍ مِنْ جَمِيعِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَجَعَلَهُمْ رُؤُوساً عَلَى الشَّعْبِ، رُؤَسَاءَ أُلُوفٍ وَرُؤَسَاءَ مِئَاتٍ وَرُؤَسَاءَ خَمَاسِينَ وَرُؤَسَاءَ عَشَرَاتٍ.26فَكَانُوا يَقْضُونَ لِلشَّعْبِ كُلَّ حِينٍ. الدَّعَاوِي الْعَسِرَةُ يَجِيئُونَ بِهَا إِلَى مُوسَى، وَكُلُّ الدَّعَاوِي الصَّغِيرَةِ يَقْضُونَ هُمْ فِيهَا.27ثُمَّ صَرَفَ مُوسَى حَمَاهُ فَمَضَى إِلَى أَرْضِهِ.
1When 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;2Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,3And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:4And 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:5And 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:6And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.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 came into the tent.8And 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.9And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.10And 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.11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.12And 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.13And 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.14And 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?15And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:16When 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.17And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.18Thou 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.19Hearken 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:20And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.21Moreover 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:22And 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.23If 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.24So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.25And 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.26And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.27And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.