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Jethro Visits Moses
1
Now 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. SCode Exo 18:12 Exo 2:16 Exo 2:18
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After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her
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and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land"; SCode Exo 4:20 Exo 2:22 Psa 39:12 Act 7:29 Heb 11:13
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and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh."
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Jethro, 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. SCode Exo 3:1
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Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."
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So 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. SCode Gen 19:1 Gen 18:2 Gen 33:4 Gen 29:13 Gen 14:17 2Sam 19:39 1Ki 2:19
8
Moses 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. SCode Neh 9:9~15 Psa 106:7~12 Psa 78:12~28 Psa 78:42~53
9
Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
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He 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. SCode Gen 14:20 2Sam 18:28 Lk 1:68
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Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly." SCode 1Chr 16:25 2Chr 2:5 Neh 9:10 Psa 95:3 Psa 135:5 Psa 97:9 Psa 119:21 Dan 4:37 Lk 1:51
12
Then 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. SCode Gen 31:54 Exo 24:11 Deu 12:7 Deu 14:26 1Chr 29:22
13
The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.
14
When 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?"
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Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. SCode
16
Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions." SCode Exo 24:14 Deu 5:1 Deu 4:5 Deu 17:8 2Sam 15:2~3 1Cor 6:1
17
Moses’ father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good.
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You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. SCode Num 11:14 Num 11:17 Deu 1:9 Deu 1:12
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Listen 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. SCode Exo 4:16 Exo 20:19 Num 27:5 Deu 5:5
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Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. SCode Psa 143:8
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But 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. SCode Deu 1:15 Deu 16:18 2Chr 19:5~10 Act 6:3
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Have 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. SCode Exo 18:26 Lev 24:11~12 Num 36:1 Num 27:2 Num 11:17 Num 15:33~34 Deu 17:8 Deu 1:17~18
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If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." SCode Exo 18:18
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Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.
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He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. SCode Deu 1:15
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They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. SCode Exo 18:22
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Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country. SCode Num 10:29~30
NIV Footnotes
  1. 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.
  2. 18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper.
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