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 that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt.
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been {Hebrew: ger.}a sojourner in a foreign land:
and the name of the other was {Hebrew: El, God, and ezer, help.}Eliezer; for he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God:
and he said unto Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
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.
And Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how Jehovah delivered them.
And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
And Jethro said, Blessed be Jehovah, 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.
Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods; yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.
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.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening.
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 about thee from morning unto even?
And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God:
when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God:
and thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
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 themselves: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace.
So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
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.
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto 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.
Querverweise zu 2. Mose 18,8 2Mo 18,8
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 that Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt.
And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called {That is, Bitterness.}Marah.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.
They remembered not his hand,Nor the day when he redeemed them from the adversary;
And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea,
and showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and didst get thee a name, as it is this day.
And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
Moreover in a pillar of cloud thou leddest them by day; and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,
and madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them commandments, and statutes, and a law, by Moses thy servant,
and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst {Hebrew: lifted up thy hand.}sworn to give them.
and the children of Israel said unto them, Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:
How he set his signs in Egypt,And his wonders in the field of Zoan,
Come, and hear, all ye that fear God,And I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and lovingkindness, let not all the travail seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee;I answered thee in the secret place of thunder;I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. [Selah
O God, thou hast taught me from my youth;And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
Yea, even {Hebrew: unto old age and gray hairs.}when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not,Until I have declared {Hebrew: thine arm.}thy strength unto the next generation,Thy might to every one that is to come.
Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high;Thou who hast done great things,O God, who is like unto thee?
Thou, who hast showed us many and sore troubles,Wilt quicken {Another reading is, me.}us again,And wilt bring {Another reading is, me.}us up again from the depths of the earth.
And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them,And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
Oh give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name;Make known among the peoples his doings.
Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so,Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; {Or, Meditate}Talk ye of all his marvellous works.
One generation shall laud thy works to another,And shall declare thy mighty acts.
Of the glorious majesty of thine honor,And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts;And I will declare thy greatness.
They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness,And shall sing of thy righteousness.
Jehovah is gracious, and merciful;Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness.
Jehovah is good to all;And his tender mercies are over all his works.
All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah;And thy saints shall bless thee.
They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,And talk of thy power;
To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.