Exodus 18:22 - Prayer Tents

18Now 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.H3503H3548H4080H4872H2859H8085H430H6213H4872H3478H5971H3068H3318H3478H4714 2After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received herH3503H4872H2859H3947H6855H4872H802H310H7964 3and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have become an alien in a foreign land";H8147H1121H8034H259H1647H559H1616H5237H776 4and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh."H8034H259H461H430H1H5828H5337H2719H6547 5Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, together with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the desert, where he was camped near the mountain of God.H3503H4872H2859H935H1121H802H4872H4057H2583H2022H430 6Jethro had sent word to him, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons."H559H4872H2859H3503H935H802H8147H1121 7So 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.H4872H3318H7125H2859H7812H5401H7592H376H7453H7965H935H168 8Moses 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.H4872H5608H2859H3068H6213H6547H4714H3478H182H8513H4672H1870H3068H5337 9Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.H3503H2302H2896H3068H6213H3478H5337H3027H4714 10He 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.H3503H559H1288H3068H5337H3027H4714H3027H6547H5337H5971H3027H4714 11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly."H3045H3068H1419H430H1697H2102 12Then 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 bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.H3503H4872H2859H3947H5930H2077H430H175H935H2205H3478H398H3899H4872H2859H6440H430 13The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.H4283H4872H3427H8199H5971H5971H5975H4872H1242H6153 14When 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?"H4872H2859H7200H6213H5971H559H1697H6213H5971H3427H5971H5324H1242H6153 15Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will.H4872H559H2859H5971H935H1875H430 16Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws."H1697H935H8199H376H7453H3045H2706H430H8451 17Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good.H4872H2859H559H1697H6213H2896 18You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.H5034H5034H5971H1697H3515H3201H6213 19Listen 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.H8085H6963H3289H430H1961H5971H4136H430H935H1697H430 20Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.H2094H853H2706H8451H3045H1870H3212H4639H6213 21But 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.H2372H5971H2428H582H3373H430H582H571H8130H1215H7760H8269H505H8269H3967H8269H2572H8269H6235 22Have 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.H8199H5971H6256H1419H1697H935H6996H1697H8199H7043H5375 23If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."H6213H1697H430H6680H3201H5975H5971H935H4725H7965 24Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.H4872H8085H6963H2859H6213H559 25He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.H4872H977H2428H582H3478H5414H7218H5971H8269H505H8269H3967H8269H2572H8269H6235 26They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.H8199H5971H6256H7186H1697H935H4872H6996H1697H1992H8199 27Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.H4872H2859H7971H3212H776