| 1 Ora, tendo ouvido Jetro, sacerdote de Madian, sogro de Moisés, tudo o que Deus tinha feito a Moisés e a Israel, seu povo, tirando-o do Egipto, | 1 Now Moses' father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel: how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. |
| 2 tomou Séfora, mulher de Moisés, a qual ele lhe tinha deixado, | 2 So his father-in-law Jethro took along Zipporah, Moses' wife, whom Moses had sent back to him, |
| 3 e os dois filhos dela, um dos quais se chamava Gersão, por seu pai ter dito: "Eu fui peregrino numa terra estrangeira", | 3 and her two sons. One of these was called Gershom; for he said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land." |
| 4 e o outro (se chamava) Elieser, por seu pai ter dito: "O Deus de meu pai foi o meu defensor, e me salvou da espada de Faraó". | 4 The other was called Eliezer; for he said, "My father's God is my helper; he has rescued me from Pharaoh's sword." |
| 5 Foi, pois, Jetro, sogro de Moisés, com seus filhos e sua mulher, ter com Moisés ao deserto, onde ele estava acampado junto ao monte de Deus, | 5 Together with Moses' wife and sons, then, his father-in-law Jethro came to him in the desert where he was encamped near the mountain of God, |
| 6 e mandou dizer a Moisés: Eu, Jetro, teu sogro, venho ter contigo com tua mulher e os teus dois filhos com ela. | 6 and he sent word to Moses, "I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons." |
| 7 Moisés, saindo ao encontro de seu sogro, prostrou-se (diante dele) e o beijou, e saudaram-se mutuamente com palavras amigas. Tendo entrado na tenda, | 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down before him, and kissed him. Having greeted each other, they went into the tent. |
| 8 Moisés contou a seu sogro tudo o que o Senhor tinha feito contra Faraó e os Egípcios, por causa de Israel, todo o trabalho que lhe sobreviera no caminho, e como o Senhor os tinha livrado. | 8 Moses then told his father-in-law of all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for the sake of Israel, and of all the hardships they had had to endure on their journey, and how the LORD had come to their rescue. |
| 9 Jetro alegrou-se por todos os bens que o Senhor tinha feito a Israel, e porque o tinha livrado da mão dos Egipcios, | 9 Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness that the LORD had shown Israel in rescuing them from the hands of the Egyptians. |
| 10 e disse: Bendito (seja) o Senhor, que vos livrou da mão dos Egípcios e da mão de Faraó, e que livrou o seu povo da mão dos Egípcios. | 10 "Blessed be the LORD," he said, "who has rescued his people from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. |
| 11 Agora conheci que o Senhor é grande sobre todos os deuses, porque se mostrou grande quando os Egípcios oprimiam Israel. | 11 Now I know that the LORD is a deity great beyond any other; for he took occasion of their being dealt with insolently to deliver the people from the power of the Egyptians." |
| 12 Jetro, sogro de Moisés, ofereceu a Deus holocaustos e hóstias, e Aarão e todos os anciães de Israel vieram comer com ele diante do Senhor. | 12 Then Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, brought a holocaust and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to participate with Moses' father-in-law in the meal before God. |
| 13 No dia seguinte, Moisés assentou-se para julgar o povo que esteve diante dele desde manhã até à tarde. | 13 The next day Moses sat in judgment for the people, who waited about him from morning until evening. |
| 14 Seu sogro, tendo visto tudo o que ele fazia com o povo disse: Que é isto que fazes com o povo? Por que te sentas só tu (no tribunal), e todo o povo está esperando desde manhã até à tarde? | 14 When his father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he inquired, "What sort of thing is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone while all the people have to stand about you from morning till evening?" |
| 15 Moisés respondeu-lhe: O povo vem a mim para ouvir a sentença de Deus, | 15 Moses answered his father-in-law, "The people come to me to consult God. |
| 16 Quando entre eles nasce alguma contenda, vêm ter comigo, para que eu julgue entre eles, e lhes mostre os preceitos de Deus e as suas leis. | 16 Whenever they have a disagreement, they come to me to have me settle the matter between them and make known to them God's decisions and regulations." |
| 17 Mas Jetro disse: Não fazes bem. | 17 "You are not acting wisely," his father-in-law replied. |
| 18 Consomes-te com um trabalho vão, a ti e a este povo que está contigo: este trabalho é sobre as tuas forças, e tu só não o poderás aturar. | 18 "You will surely wear yourself out, and not only yourself but also these people with you. The task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. |
| 19 Ouve as minhas palavras e conselhos, e Deus será contigo. Sê mediador do povo naquelas coisas que dizem respeito a Deus, para lhe expores os pedidos que lhe são dirigidos, | 19 Now, listen to me, and I will give you some advice, that God may be with you. Act as the people's representative before God, bringing to him whatever they have to say. |
| 20 e para ensinares ao povo as cerimônias e o modo de honrar a Deus, o caminho por onde devem andar e as obras que devem fazer. | 20 Enlighten them in regard to the decisions and regulations, showing them how they are to live and what they are to do. |
| 21 Mas escolhe entre todo o povo homens capazes e tementes a Deus, nos quais haja verdade e que aborreçam a avareza: faz deles chefes de mil, de cem, de cinquenta e de dez homens, | 21 But you should also look among all the people for able and God-fearing men, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and set them as officers over groups of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. |
| 22 os quais julguem o povo em todo o tempo, te dêem conta coisas mais graves, e eles julguem sòmente as coisas menos graves. Desta sorte o peso que te oprime será mais leve, sendo repartido com outros. | 22 Let these men render decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. More important cases they should refer to you, but all the lesser cases they can settle themselves. Thus, your burden will be lightened, since they will bear it with you. |
| 23 Se fizeres isto, cumprirás a ordem de Deus e poderás executar os seus preceitos: e todo este povo voltará em paz para as suas moradas. | 23 If you do this, when God gives you orders you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." |
| 24 Moisés, tendo ouvido isto, fez tudo o que seu sogro lhe sugerira. | 24 Moses followed the advice of his father-in-law and did all that he had suggested. |
| 25 Tendo escolhido entre todo o povo de Israel homens de valor, constituiu chefes de mil, de cem, de cinqüenta e de dez homens. | 25 He picked out able men from all Israel and put them in charge of the people as officers over groups of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. |
| 26 Eles faziam justiça ao povo em todo o tempo, e davam conta a Moisés de todas as coisas mais graves, julgando eles sòmente as mais fáceis. | 26 They rendered decisions for the people in all ordinary cases. The more difficult cases they referred to Moses, but all the lesser cases they settled themselves. |
| 27 Moisés despediu-se de seu sogro, o qual voltou para o seu país. | 27 Then Moses bade farewell to his father-in-law, who went off to his own country. |
