Exodus 18

1 Cumque audisset Iethro, sacerdos Madian, cognatus Moysi, omnia quæ fecerat Deus Moysi, et Israeli populo suo, et quod eduxisset Dominus Israel de Ægypto:

When Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses's father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, [and] that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt:

2 tulit Sephoram uxorem Moysi quam remiserat:

Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, took Zipporah Moses's wife, after he had sent her back,

3 et duos filios eius, quorum unus vocabatur Gersam, dicente patre: Advena fui in terra aliena.

And her two sons; of which the name of the one [was] Gershom; (for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: )

4 Alter vero Eliezer: Deus enim, ait, patris mei adiutor meus, et eruit me de gladio Pharaonis.

And the name of the other [was] Eliezer; (for the God of my father, [said he], [was] my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: )

5 Venit ergo Iethro cognatus Moysi, et filii eius, et uxor eius ad Moysen in desertum, ubi erat castrametatus iuxta montem Dei.

And Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

6 Et mandavit Moysi, dicens: Ego Iethro cognatus tuus venio ad te, et uxor tua, et duo filii cum ea.

And he said to Moses, I thy father-in-law Jethro have come to thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

7 Qui egressus in occursum cognati sui, adoravit, et osculatus est eum: salutaveruntque se mutuo verbis pacificis. Cumque intrasset tabernaculum,

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.

8 narravit Moyses cognato suo cuncta quæ fecerat Dominus Pharaoni, et Ægyptiis propter Israel: universumque laborem, qui accidisset eis in itinere, et quod liberaverat eos Dominus.

And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, [and] all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and [how] the LORD delivered them.

9 Lætatusque est Iethro super omnibus bonis, quæ fecerat Dominus Israeli, eo quod eruisset eum de manu Ægyptiorum,

And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10 et ait: Benedictus Dominus, qui liberavit vos de manu Ægyptiorum, et de manu Pharaonis, qui eruit populum suum de manu Ægypti.

And Jethro said, Blessed [be] the LORD, 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.

11 Nunc cognovi, quia magnus Dominus super omnes deos: eo quod superbe egerint contra illos.

Now I know that the LORD [is] greater than all gods: for in the thing in which they dealt proudly, [he was] above them.

12 Obtulit ergo Iethro cognatus Moysi holocausta et hostias Deo: veneruntque Aaron et omnes seniores Israel, ut comederent panem cum eo coram Deo.

And Jethro, Moses's 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's father-in-law before God.

13 Altera autem die sedit Moyses ut iudicaret populum, qui assistebat Moysi a mane usque ad vesperam.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning to the evening.

14 Quod cum vidisset cognatus eius, omnia scilicet quæ agebat in populo, ait: Quid est hoc quod facis in plebe? cur solus sedes, et omnis populus præstolatur de mane usque ad vesperam?

And when Moses's 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 by thee from morning to evening?

15 Cui respondit Moyses: Venit ad me populus quærens sententiam Dei.

And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God:

16 Cumque acciderit eis aliqua disceptatio, veniunt ad me ut iudicem inter eos, et ostendam præcepta Dei, et leges eius.

When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between one and another, and I make [them] know the statutes of God, and his laws.

17 At ille: Non bonam, inquit, rem facis:

And Moses's father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou doest [is] not good.

18 stulto labore consumeris et tu, et populus iste qui tecum est: ultra vires tuas est negotium, solus illud non poteris sustinere.

Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that [is] with thee: for this thing [is] too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

19 Sed audi verba mea atque consilia, et erit Deus tecum. Esto tu populo in his quæ ad Deum pertinent, ut referas quæ dicuntur ad eum:

Hearken now to my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people toward God, that thou mayest bring the causes to God:

20 ostendasque populo ceremonias et ritum colendi, viamque per quam ingredi debeant, et opus quod facere debeant.

And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.

21 Provide autem de omni plebe viros potentes, et timentes Deum, in quibus sit veritas, et qui oderint avaritiam, et constitue ex eis tribunos, et centuriones, et quinquagenarios, et decanos

Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place [such] over them [to be] rulers of thousands, [and] rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

22 qui iudicent populum omni tempore: quidquid autem maius fuerit, referant ad te, et ipsi minora tantummodo iudicent: leviusque sit tibi, partito in alios onere.

And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, [that] every great matter they shall bring to thee, but every small matter they shall judge: So shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden] with thee.

23 Si hoc feceris, implebis imperium Dei, et præcepta eius poteris sustentare: et omnis hic populus revertetur ad loca sua cum pace.

If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee [so], then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

24 Quibus auditis, Moyses fecit omnia quæ ille suggesserat.

So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

25 Et electis viris strenuis de cuncto Israel, constituit eos principes populi, tribunos, et centuriones, et quinquagenarios, et decanos.

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.

26 Qui iudicabant plebem omni tempore: quidquid autem gravius erat, referebant ad eum, faciliora tantummodo iudicantes.

And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

27 Dimisitque cognatum suum: qui reversus abiit in terram suam.

And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.