Exodus 18:22 - Prayer Tents

Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law

18Now 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.H3503H3548H4080H4872H2859H8085H430H6213H4872H3478H5971H3068H3318H3478H4714 2And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Moses' wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away,H3503H4872H2859H3947H6855H4872H802H310H7964 3and her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom, for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."H8147H1121H8034H259H1647H559H1616H5237H776 4And the other was named Eliezer, for [he said,] "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."H8034H259H461H430H1H5828H5337H2719H6547 5Then 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.H3503H4872H2859H935H1121H802H4872H4057H2583H2022H430 6And he sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her."H559H4872H2859H3503H935H802H8147H1121 7Then 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.H4872H3318H7125H2859H7812H5401H7592H376H7453H7965H935H168 8And 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.H4872H5608H2859H3068H6213H6547H4714H3478H182H8513H4672H1870H3068H5337 9And Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.H3503H2302H2896H3068H6213H3478H5337H3027H4714 10So 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.H3503H559H1288H3068H5337H3027H4714H3027H6547H5337H5971H3027H4714 11"Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people."H3045H3068H1419H430H1697H2102 12Then 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.H3503H4872H2859H3947H5930H2077H430H175H935H2205H3478H398H3899H4872H2859H6440H430 13And 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.H4283H4872H3427H8199H5971H5971H5975H4872H1242H6153 14Now 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?"H4872H2859H7200H6213H5971H559H1697H6213H5971H3427H5971H5324H1242H6153 15And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.H4872H559H2859H5971H935H1875H430 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."H1697H935H8199H376H7453H3045H2706H430H8451

Jethro Counsels Moses

17And Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.H4872H2859H559H1697H6213H2896 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.H5034H5034H5971H1697H3515H3201H6213 19"Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people's representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,H8085H6963H3289H430H1961H5971H4136H430H935H1697H430 20then 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.H2094H853H2706H8451H3045H1870H3212H4639H6213 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.H2372H5971H2428H582H3373H430H582H571H8130H1215H7760H8269H505H8269H3967H8269H2572H8269H6235 22"And 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.H8199H5971H6256H1419H1697H935H6996H1697H8199H7043H5375 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."H6213H1697H430H6680H3201H5975H5971H935H4725H7965 24So Moses listened to his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.H4872H8085H6963H2859H6213H559 25And 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.H4872H977H2428H582H3478H5414H7218H5971H8269H505H8269H3967H8269H2572H8269H6235 26And they judged the people at all times; the difficult dispute they would bring to Moses, but every minor dispute they themselves would judge.H8199H5971H6256H7186H1697H935H4872H6996H1697H1992H8199 27Then Moses bade his father-in-law farewell, and he went his way into his own land.H4872H2859H7971H3212H776