1
Now
Jethro, the
priest of
Midian,
Moses' father-in-law,
heard of
all that
God had
done for
Moses and for
Israel His
people,
how the
LORD had
brought Israel out of
Egypt.
tea h,v{m<04872'> !et{x !'y.dim !eh{k w{r.tIy [;m.viY;w ? lea'r.fIy.l.W h,v{m.l ~yih{l/a h'f'[ r,v]a -l'K ? ~Iy'r.ciMim lea'r.fIy -t,a h'wh.y ayicw{h -yiK w{M;[
2
Jethro,
Moses' father-in-law,
took Moses' wife Zipporah,
after he had
sent her
away,
t,vea h'r{Pic -t,a h,v{m<04872'> !et{x w{r.tIy x;QiY;w ? 'hy,x.WLiv r;x;a h,v{m<04872'>
3
and her
two sons, of
whom one was
named Gershom, for Moses
said, "I have
been a
sojourner in a
foreign land."
yiK ~{v.reG d'x,a'h ~ev r,v]a 'hy,n'b yen.v tea.w ? h'Yir.k'n #,r,a.B yityIy'h reG r;m'a
4
The
other was
named Eliezer, for he said, "The
God of my
father was my
help, and
delivered me from the
sword of
Pharaoh."
yir.z,[.B yib'a yeh{l/a -yiK r,z,[yil/a d'x,a'h ~ev.w ? h{[.r;P b,r,xem yineliC;Y;w
5
Then
Jethro,
Moses' father-in-law,
came with his
sons and his
wife to
Moses in the
wilderness where * he was
camped, at the
mount of
God.
h,v{m<04872'> -l,a w{T.via.w wy'n'b.W h,v{m !et{x w{r.tIy a{b'Y;w ? ~yih{l/a'h r;h ~'v h,n{x a.Wh -r,v]a r'B.diM;h -l,a
6
He
sent word to
Moses, "I, your
father-in-law Jethro, am
coming to you with your
wife and her
two sons with her."
a'B w{r.tIy '$.n,t{x yin]a h,v{m -l,a r,ma{Y;w ? H'Mi[ 'hy,n'b yen.v.W '$.T.via.w '$y,lea
7
Then
Moses went out to
meet his
father-in-law, and he
bowed down and
kissed him; and they
asked each other of their
welfare and
went into the
tent.
w{l -q;ViY;w .Wx;T.viY;w w{n.t{x ta;r.qil h,v{m aeceY;w ? h'l/h{a'h .Wa{b'Y;w ~w{l'v.l .Whe[er.l -vyia .Wl]a.viY;w
8
Moses told his
father-in-law all that the
LORD had
done to
Pharaoh and to the
Egyptians for
Israel's sake *,
all the
hardship that had
befallen them on the
journey, and how the
LORD had
delivered them.
h'f'[ r,v]a -l'K tea w{n.t{x.l h,v{m reP;s.y;w ? lea'r.fIy t{dw{a l;[ ~Iy;r.cim.l.W h{[.r;p.l h'wh.y ? ~eliC;Y;w .$,r,D;B ~;t'a'c.m r,v]a h'a'l.T;h -l'K tea ? h'wh.y
9
Jethro rejoiced over all the
goodness which the
LORD had
done to
Israel, in
delivering them from the
hand of the
Egyptians.
h'f'[ -r,v]a h'bw{J;h -l'K l;[ w{r.tIy .D;xiY;w ? ~Iy'r.cim d;Yim w{lyiCih r,v]a lea'r.fIy.l h'wh.y
10
So
Jethro said,
"Blessed be the
LORD who delivered you from the
hand of the
Egyptians and from the
hand of
Pharaoh, and
who delivered the
people from
under the
hand of the
Egyptians.
~,k.t,a lyiCih r,v]a h'wh.y .$.Wr'B w{r.tIy r,ma{Y;w ? ~'['h -t,a lyiCih r,v]a h{[.r;P d;Yim.W ~Iy;r.cim d;Yim ? ~Iy'r.cim -d;y t;x;Tim
11
"Now I
know that the
LORD is
greater than all the
gods;
indeed, it was
proven when they
dealt proudly against the people."
~yih{l/a'h -l'Kim h'wh.y lw{d'g -yiK yiT.[;d'y h'T;[ ? ~,hyel][ .Wd'z r,v]a r'b'D;b yiK
12
Then
Jethro,
Moses' father-in-law,
took a
burnt offering and
sacrifices for
God, and
Aaron came with
all the
elders of
Israel to
eat a
meal with
Moses' father-in-law before God.
~yih{lael ~yix'b.z.W h'l{[ h,v{m<04872'> !et{x w{r.tIy x;QiY;w ? ~,x,l -l'k/a,l lea'r.fIy yen.qiz l{k.w !{r]h;a a{b'Y;w ? ~yih{l/a'h yen.pil h,v{m<04872'> !et{x -mi[
13
It
came about the
next day that
Moses sat to
judge the
people, and the
people stood about Moses from the
morning until the
evening.
-t,a j{P.vil h,v{m b,veY;w t'r\x'Mim yih.y;w ? b,r'['h -d;[ r,q{B;h -nim h,v{m -l;[ ~'['h d{m][;Y;w ~'['h
14
Now when
Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was
doing for the
people, he
said,
"What is
this thing that you are
doing for the
people?
Why do you
alone sit as judge and
all the
people stand about you from
morning until evening?"
h,f{[ a.Wh -r,v]a -l'K tea h,v{m<04872'> !et{x a.r;Y;w ? h'T;a r,v]a h,Z;h r'b'D;h -h'm r,ma{Y;w ~'['l ? ~'['h -l'k.w '$,D;b.l bevw{y h'T;a ;[.WD;m ~'['l h,f{[ ? b,r'[ -d;[ r,q{B -nim '$y,l'[ b'Cin
15
Moses said to his
father-in-law,
"Because the
people come to me to
inquire of
God.
~'['h y;lea a{b'y -yiK w{n.t{x.l h,v{m r,ma{Y;w ? ~yih{l/a v{r.dil
16
"When they
have a
dispute, it
comes to me, and I
judge between a
man and his
neighbor and
make known the
statutes of
God and His
laws."
yiT.j;p'v.w y;lea a'B r'b'D ~,h'l h,y.hIy -yiK ? yeQUx -t,a yiT.[;dw{h.w .Whe[er !yeb.W vyia !yeB ? wy't{rw{T -t,a.w ~yih{l/a'h
17
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The
thing that you are
doing is not
good.
r'b'D;h bw{j -a{l wy'lea h,v{m<04872'> !et{x r,ma{Y;w ? h,f{[ h'T;a r,v]a
18
"You will
surely wear out,
both yourself and
these people who are with you, for the
task is
too heavy for you; you
cannot * do it
alone.
r,v]a h,Z;h ~'['h -m;G h'T;a -m;G l{BiT l{b'n ? .Wh{f][ l;k.Wt -a{l r'b'D;h '$.Mim deb'k -yiK .$'Mi[ ? '$,D;b.l
19
"Now listen to me: I will
give you
counsel, and
God be with you. You be the
people's representative
before God, and you
bring the
disputes to
God,
.$'Mi[ ~yih{l/a yihyiw '$.c'[yia yil{q.B [;m.v h'T;[ ? h'T;a 'taebeh.w ~yih{l/a'h l.Wm ~'['l h'T;a hey/h ? ~yih{l/a'h -l,a ~yir'b.D;h -t,a
20
then
teach them the
statutes and the
laws, and
make known to them the
way in which they are to
walk and the
work they are to
do.
t{rw{T;h -t,a.w ~yiQUx;h -t,a ~,h.t,a h'T.r;h.zih.w ? h,f][;M;h -t,a.w H'b .Wk.ley .$,r,D;h -t,a ~,h'l 'T.[;dw{h.w ? !.Wf][;y r,v]a
21
"Furthermore, you shall
select out of
all the
people able men who
fear God,
men of
truth, those who
hate dishonest gain; and you shall
place these
over them as
leaders of
thousands, of
hundreds, of
fifties and of
tens.
yea.rIy lIy;x -yev.n;a ~'['h -l'Kim h,z/x,t h'T;a.w ? ~,hel][ 'T.m;f.w [;c'b yea.n{f t,m/a yev.n;a ~yih{l/a ? yer'f.w ~yiVim]x yer'f tw{aem yer'f ~yip'l]a yer'f ? t{r'f][
22
"Let them
judge the
people at
all times; and let it be that
every major dispute they will
bring to you, but
every minor dispute they themselves will
judge. So it will be
easier for you, and they will
bear the burden with you.
r'b'D;h -l'K h'y'h.w te[ -l'k.B ~'['h -t,a .Wj.p'v.w ? !{j'Q;h r'b'D;h -l'k.w '$y,lea .Wayib'y l{d'G;h ? .$'Tia .Wa.f'n.w '$y,l'[em leq'h.w ~eh -.Wj.P.vIy
23
"If you
do this thing and
God so
commands you, then you will be
able to
endure, and
all these people also will
go to their
place in
peace."
~yih{l/a '$..Wic.w h,f][;T h,Z;h r'b'D;h -t,a ~ia ? w{m{q.m -l;[ h,Z;h ~'['h -l'K ~;g.w d{m][ 'T.l'k'y.w ? ~w{l'v.b a{b'y
24
So
Moses listened to his
father-in-law and
did all that he had
said.
r,v]a l{K f;[;Y;w w{n.t{x lw{q.l h,v{m [;m.viY;w ? r'm'a
25
Moses chose able men out of
all Israel and
made them
heads over the
people,
leaders of
thousands, of
hundreds, of
fifties and of
tens.
lea'r.fIy -l'Kim lIy;x -yev.n;a h,v{m r;x.biY;w ? ~yip'l]a yer'f ~'['h -l;[ ~yiva'r ~'t{a !eTiY;w ? t{r'f][ yer'f.w ~yiVim]x yer'f tw{aem yer'f
26
They
judged the
people at
all times; the
difficult dispute they would
bring to
Moses, but
every minor dispute they themselves would
judge.
r'b'D;h -t,a te[ -l'k.B ~'['h -t,a .Wj.p'v.w ? !{j'Q;h r'b'D;h -l'k.w h,v{m -l,a !.Wayib.y h,v'Q;h ? ~eh .Wj.WP.vIy
27
Then
Moses bade his
father-in-law farewell, and he
went his way into his own
land.
w{c.r;a -l,a w{l .$,leY;w w{n.t{x -t,a h,v{m x;L;v.y;w