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| 1 And Jethro priest of Midian, father-in-law of Moses, heareth all that God hath done for Moses, and for Israel his people, that Jehovah hath brought out Israel from Egypt, |
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| 2 and Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, taketh Zipporah, wife of Moses, besides her parents, |
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| 3 and her two sons, of whom the name of the one [is] Gershom, for he said, 'a sojourner I have been in a strange land:' |
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| 4 and the name of the other [is] Eliezer, for, 'the God of my father [is] for my help, and doth deliver me from the sword of Pharaoh.' |
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| 5 And Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, cometh, and his sons, and his wife, unto Moses, unto the wilderness where he is encamping the mount of God; |
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| 6 and he saith unto Moses, 'I, thy father-in-law, Jethro, am coming unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.' |
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| 7 And Moses goeth out to meet his father-in-law, and boweth himself, and kisseth him, and they ask one at another of welfare, and come into the tent; |
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| 8 and Moses recounteth to his father-in-law all that Jehovah hath done to Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians, on account of Israel, all the travail which hath found them in the way, and Jehovah doth deliver them. |
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| 9 And Jethro rejoiceth for all the good which Jehovah hath done to Israel, whom He hath delivered from the hand of the Egyptians; |
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| 10 and Jethro saith, 'Blessed [is] Jehovah, who hath delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of Pharaoh who hath delivered this people from under the hand of the Egyptians; |
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| 11 now I have known that Jehovah [is] greater than all the gods, for in the thing they have acted proudly [He is] above them!' |
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| 12 And Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, taketh a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron cometh in, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses, before God. |
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| 13 And it cometh to pass on the morrow, that Moses sitteth to judge the people, and the people stand before Moses, from the morning unto the evening; |
Moses sat to judge – Showing that the word "judgment" includes the thought of a trial and a righteous decision based upon that trial. R568:6
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| 14 and the father-in-law of Moses seeth all that he is doing to the people, and saith, 'What [is] this thing which thou art doing to the people wherefore art thou sitting by thyself, and all the people standing by thee from morning till evening ' |
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| 15 And Moses saith to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come unto me to seek God; |
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| 16 when they have a matter, it hath come unto me, and I have judged between a man and his neighbour, and made known the statutes of God, and His laws.' |
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| 17 And the father-in-law of Moses saith unto him, 'The thing which thou art doing [is] not good; |
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| 18 thou dost surely wear away, both thou, and this people which [is] with thee, for the thing is too heavy for thee, thou art not able to do it by thyself. |
Too heavy for thee – Moses, instead of being a designing politician, was really the overworked servant of the people. A47
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| 19 'Now, hearken to my voice, I counsel thee, and God is with thee: be thou for the people over-against God, and thou hast brought in the things unto God; |
Give thee counsel – Jethro's counsel became the basis of the English and American constitutions, governments "of the people, by the people, for the people." R3037:3
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| 20 and thou hast warned them [concerning] the statutes and the laws, and hast made known to them the way in which they go, and the work which they do. |
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| 21 'And thou thou dost provide out of all the people men of ability, fearing God, men of truth, hating dishonest gain, and hast placed [these] over them, heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens, |
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| 22 and they have judged the people at all times; and it hath come to pass, every great matter they bring in unto thee, and every small matter they judge themselves; and lighten it from off thyself, and they have borne with thee. |
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| 23 If thou dost this thing, and God hath commanded thee, then thou hast been able to stand, and all this people also goeth in unto its place in peace.' |
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| 24 And Moses hearkeneth to the voice of his father-in-law, and doth all that he said, |
So Moses hearkened – God sometimes uses outsiders to instruct his people in some things: wise is the man or woman humble enough to receive such instruction properly. R3037:2
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| 25 and Moses chooseth men of ability out of all Israel, and maketh them chiefs over the people, heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens, |
Made them heads – During nearly a year at Mt. Sinai, Israel was transformed from a horde of unorganized emigrants into a powerful nation with covenant relationship with God. R4037:1
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| 26 and they have judged the people at all times; the hard matter they bring in unto Moses, and every small matter they judge themselves. |
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| 27 And Moses sendeth his father-in-law away, and he goeth away unto his own land. |
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