Bilingual reading

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 the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her away,

and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land”.

The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.”

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with Moses’ sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

He said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her.”

Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.

Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

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

Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.”

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.

When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, “What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?”

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

When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.”

Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.

You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.

Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.

You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.

Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which 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.

Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.

If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”

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

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.

They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

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

وسَمِعَ يِتْرو، كاهِنُ مِدْيَنَ وحَمو موسى، بِكُلِّ ما صَنَعَ اللهُ إِلى موسى وإِلى إِسْرائيلَ شَعبِه، كَيفَ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ أَخرَجَ إِسْرائيلَ مِن مِصْر

فأَخَذَ يِتْرو، حَمو موسى، صِفُّورةَ، ٱمرَأَةَ موسى، بَعدَما صَرَفَها

وٱبنَيها اللَّذَينِ ٱسمُ أَحَدِهِما جِرْشوم، لِأَنَّ أَباه قال: «كُنتُ نَزيلًا في أَرضٍ غَريبة»

وٱسمُ الآخَرِ أَليعازَر، لِأَنَّه قال: «إِلٰهُ أَبي كان عَوني وخَلَّصَني مِن سَيفِ فِرعَون»

وأَتى يِتْرو، حَمو موسى، وٱبناه وٱمرَأَتُه إِلى موسى في البَرِّيَّة، حَيثُ كانَ مُخَيِّمًا عِندَ جَبَلِ الله

وأَبلَغَ موسى: «أَنا حَماكَ يِتْروَ قادِمٌ إِلَيكَ، وٱمرَأَتُكَ وٱبْناها معَها»

فخَرَجَ موسى لِلِقاءِ حَمِيه، وسَجَدَ وقَبَّلَه وسأَلَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنهما عن سَلامةِ صاحِبِه، ودَخَلا الخَيمَة

وقَصَّ موسى على حَمِيه كُلَّ ما صَنَعَ الرَّبُّ بِفِرعَونَ والمِصرِيِّينَ بِسَبَبِ إِسْرائيل، وكُلَّ ما نالَهم مِنَ المَشَقَّةِ في الطَّريق، وكَيفَ أَنقَذَهمُ الرَّبّ

فسُرَّ يِتْرو بِكُلِّ الخَيرِ الَّذي صَنَعَه الرَّبُّ إِلى إِسْرائيل، عِندَما أَنقَذَهم مِن أَيدي المِصرِيِّين

وقالَ يِتْرو: «تَبارَكَ الرَّبُّ الَّذي أَنقَذَكم مِن أَيدي المِصرِيِّينَ ومِن يَدِ فِرعَون

الآنَ عَلِمتُ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ عَظيمٌ فَوقَ جَميعِ الآلِهَة، في الأَمرِ نَفسِه الَّذي طَغى به المِصرِيُّونَ علَيهم»

ثُمَّ أَخَذَ يِتْرو، حَمو موسى، مُحرَقَةً وذَبائِحَ للهِ. وجاءَ هارونُ وجَميعُ شُيوخِ إِسْرائيلَ لِيأكُلوا مع حَمي موسى أَمامَ الله

ولَمَّا كانَ الغَد، جَلَسَ موسى لِيَقْضِيَ لِلشَّعْب، فوقَفَ الشَّعبُ قُربَه مِنَ الصَّباحِ وحَتَّى المَساء

فلَمَّا رأَى حَمو موسى كُلَّ ما يَصنَعُ لِلشَّعْب، قال: «ما هٰذا الَّذي أَنتَ تَصنَعُه لِلشَّعب، وما بالُكَ جالِسًا وَحدَكَ وكُلُّ الشَّعبِ واقِفٌ أَمامَكَ مِنَ الصَّباحِ حتَّى المَساء؟»

فقالَ موسى لِحَمِيه: «إِنَّ الشَّعبَ يأتي إِلَيَّ لِيَستَشيرَ الله

فإِذا كانَت له قَضِيَّة، يأتيني فأَقضِي بَينَ الرَّجُلِ وصاحِبِه، وأُعَرِّفُهم فَرائِضَ اللهِ وشرائِعَه»

فقالَ لِموسى حَموه: «لَيسَ ما تَصنَعُه بِحَسَن

فإِنَّكَ، ولا شَكَّ، تُنهِكُ نَفسَكَ كَثيرًا أَنتَ وهٰذا الشَّعبَ الَّذي مَعَكَ أَيضًا، لِأَنَّ هٰذا الأَمرَ فَوقَ طاقَتِكَ، ولا تَستَطيعُ أَن تَتَوَلَّاه وَحدَكَ

والآنَ ٱسمَعْ مِنِّي ما أَنصَحُكَ بِه، فيَكونَ اللهُ معَكَ. كُنْ أَنتَ لِلشَّعبِ أَمامَ الله وتَرفَعُ أَنتَ القَضايا إِلَيه

وتُنَبِّهُهم إِلى الفَرائِضِ والشَّرائِع، وتُعَرِّفُهمُ الطَّريقَ الَّذي يَسلُكونَه والعَمَلَ الَّذي يَعمَلونَه

وأَنتَ فٱختَرْ مِن كُلِّ الشَّعبِ أُناسًا مَهَرَةً أَتقِياءَ للهِ أَهْلًا لِلثِّقَةِ يَكرَهونَ الكَسْب. وتُقيمُهم علَيهم رُؤَساءَ أَلفٍ ومِئَةٍ وخَمْسينَ وعَشَرَة

فيَقْضونَ لِلشَّعبِ في كُلِّ وَقْتٍ ويَرفَعونَ إِلَيكَ كُلَّ قَضِيَّةٍ هامَّة، وكُلُّ قَضِيَّةٍ صَغيرةٍ هُم يَقْضونَ فيها. وخَفِّفْ عن نَفْسِكَ، وهم يَحمِلونَ معَكَ

فإِن أَنتَ فَعَلتَ هٰكذا وأَمَرَكَ اللهُ بِأَمرٍ، أَمكَنَكَ الثَّبات، وهٰذا الشَّعبُ كُلُّه يَنصَرِفُ إِلى مُقامِه بِسَلام»

فسَمِعَ موسى لِقَولِ حَمِيه وفَعَلَ كُلَّ ما قالَ لَه

فٱختارَ موسى أُناسًا مَهَرَةً مِن كُلِّ إِسْرائيل، فأَقامَهم رُؤَساءَ على الشَّعْب: رُؤَساءَ أَلْفٍ ومِئَةٍ وخَمْسينَ وعَشَرَة

فكانوا يَقْضونَ لِلشَّعبِ في كُلِّ وَقت، وكُلُّ قَضِيَّةٍ عَويصةٍ يَرفَعونَها إِلى موسى، وكُلُّ قَضِيَّةٍ صغيرةٍ يَقْضونَ هُم فيها

ثُمَّ صَرَفَ موسى حَماه، فذَهَبَ إِلى أَرضِه