134-135 : Jethro Advises Moses
WHEN Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses'father-in-law,
heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people,
he came to see Moses in the wilderness.
Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and told him all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh
and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake.
And Jethro said: "Blessed be the Lord. Now I know that he is greater than all gods."
And it came to pass on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people,
and the people stood by Moses from the morning to the evening.
And when Jethro saw this, he said: "What is this thing that you do with the people?
Why do you sit by yourself alone,
and why do all the people stand by you from morning to evening?"
And Moses said to his father-in-law: "The people come to me to inquire of God.
When they have a matter, they come to me,
and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."
And Moses' father-in-law said him: "The thing that you do is good.
You will surely wear away, both you and this people who are with you.
For this thing is too heavy for you.
You are not able to perform it by yourself alone.
Listen now to my voice.
I will give you advice."You should choose from the people able men, men who fear God,
men of truth and honesty.
Place them over the people, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties and rulers of tens.
And let them judge the people at all times.
Every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves.
Thus shall it be easier for you,
and they shall share the burden with you.
If you shall do this thing, and God so commands you, then you shall be able to endure,
and all this people also shall go to their place in peace."
Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he said.
He chose able men from all Israel and made them rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
And they judged the people at all times.
The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
And Moses let his father-in-law depart.
And he went his way into his own land.
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