Shemòt (שמות) - Esodo 18

STUTTGARTENSIA-DELITZSCH	NEW JERUSALEM
1 וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרֹו כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמֹּו כִּי־הֹוצִיא יְהוָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם	1 Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, had heard al about what God had done for Moses andfor Israel his people: how Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 וַיִּקַּח יִתְרֹו חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֶת־צִפֹּרָה אֵשֶׁת מֹשֶׁה אַחַר שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ	2 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, then took back Zipporah, Moses' wife, whom Moses had sent home,
3 וְאֵת שְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר שֵׁם הָאֶחָד גֵּרְשֹׁם כִּי אָמַר גֵּר הָיִיתִי בְּאֶרֶץ נָכְרִיָּה	3 with her two sons; one of them was cal ed Gershom because, he had said, 'I am an alien in a foreignland,'
4 וְשֵׁם הָאֶחָד אֱלִיעֶזֶר כִּי־אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי בְּעֶזְרִי וַיַּצִּלֵנִי מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה	4 and the other cal ed Eliezer because 'My father's God is my help and has delivered me from Pharaoh'ssword.'
5 וַיָּבֹא יִתְרֹו חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתֹּו אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר־הוּא חֹנֶה שָׁם הַר הָאֱלֹהִים	5 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, with Moses' sons and wife, came to Moses in the desert where hewas encamped, at the mountain of God.
6 וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֲנִי חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרֹו בָּא אֵלֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּשְׁנֵי בָנֶיהָ עִמָּהּ	6 'Here is your father-in-law Jethro approaching', Moses was told, 'with your wife and her two sons.'
7 וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה לִקְרַאת חֹתְנֹו וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ וַיִּשַּׁק־לֹו וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ־לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלֹום וַיָּבֹאוּ הָאֹהֱלָה	7 So Moses went out to greet his father-in-law, bowed low to him and kissed him; and when each hadasked how the other was they went into the tent.
8 וַיְסַפֵּר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנֹו אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמִצְרַיִם עַל אֹודֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵת כָּל־הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתַם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵם יְהוָה	8 Moses then told his father-in-law al about what Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians forIsrael's sake, and about al the hardships that they had encountered on the way, and how Yahweh had rescuedthem.
9 וַיִּחַדְּ יִתְרֹו עַל כָּל־הַטֹּובָה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה יְהוָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִצִּילֹו מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם	9 And Jethro was delighted at al Yahweh's goodness to Israel in having rescued them from the clutchesof the Egyptians.
10 וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרֹו בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּמִיַּד פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר הִצִּיל אֶת־הָעָם מִתַּחַת יַד־מִצְרָיִם	10 'Blessed be Yahweh', Jethro exclaimed, 'for having rescued you from the clutches of the Egyptiansand the clutches of Pharaoh, for having rescued the people from the grasp of the Egyptians!
11 עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־גָדֹול יְהוָה מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי בַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר זָדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם	11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than al other gods. . .'
12 וַיִּקַּח יִתְרֹו חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה עֹלָה וּזְבָחִים לֵאלֹהִים וַיָּבֹא אַהֲרֹן וְכֹל ׀ זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֶאֱכָל־לֶחֶם עִם־חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים	12 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, then offered a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God; and Aaron and al the elders of Israel came and ate with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.
13 וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיֵּשֶׁב מֹשֶׁה לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת־הָעָם וַיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם עַל־מֹשֶׁה מִן־הַבֹּקֶר עַד־הָעָרֶב	13 On the fol owing day, Moses took his seat to administer justice for the people, and the people werestanding round him from morning til evening.
14 וַיַּרְא חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־הוּא עֹשֶׂה לָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר מָה־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה לָעָם מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה יֹושֵׁב לְבַדֶּךָ וְכָל־הָעָם נִצָּב עָלֶיךָ מִן־בֹּקֶר עַד־עָרֶב	14 Seeing all he did for the people, Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'Why do you do this for the people,why sit here alone with the people standing round you from morning til evening?'
15 וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹתְנֹו כִּי־יָבֹא אֵלַי הָעָם לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים	15 Moses replied to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to consult God.
16 כִּי־יִהְיֶה לָהֶם דָּבָר בָּא אֵלַי וְשָׁפַטְתִּי בֵּין אִישׁ וּבֵין רֵעֵהוּ וְהֹודַעְתִּי אֶת־חֻקֵּי הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֶת־תֹּורֹתָיו	16 When they have a problem they come to me, and I give a ruling between the one and the other andmake God's statutes and laws known to them.'
17 וַיֹּאמֶר חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵלָיו לֹא־טֹוב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה	17 Moses' father-in-law then said to him, 'What you are doing is not right.
18 נָבֹל תִּבֹּל גַּם־אַתָּה גַּם־הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עִמָּךְ כִּי־כָבֵד מִמְּךָ הַדָּבָר לֹא־תוּכַל עֲשֹׂהוּ לְבַדֶּךָ	18 You wil only tire yourself out, and the people with you too, for the work is too heavy for you. Youcannot do it all yourself.
19 עַתָּה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי אִיעָצְךָ וִיהִי אֱלֹהִים עִמָּךְ הֱיֵה אַתָּה לָעָם מוּל הָאֱלֹהִים וְהֵבֵאתָ אַתָּה אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים	19 Now listen to the advice I am going to give you, and God be with you! Your task is to represent thepeople to God, to lay their cases before God,
20 וְהִזְהַרְתָּה אֶתְהֶם אֶת־הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת־הַתֹּורֹת וְהֹודַעְתָּ לָהֶם אֶת־הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ וְאֶת־הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּן	20 and to teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way they ought to fol ow and how theyought to behave.
21 וְאַתָּה תֶחֱזֶה מִכָּל־הָעָם אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל יִרְאֵי אֱלֹהִים אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת שֹׂנְאֵי בָצַע וְשַׂמְתָּ עֲלֵהֶם שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאֹות שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת	21 At the same time, from the people at large choose capable and God-fearing men, men who aretrustworthy and incorruptible, and put them in charge of them as heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens,
22 וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת־הָעָם בְּכָל־עֵת וְהָיָה כָּל־הַדָּבָר הַגָּדֹל יָבִיאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְכָל־הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפְּטוּ־הֵם וְהָקֵל מֵעָלֶיךָ וְנָשְׂאוּ אִתָּךְ	22 and make them the people's permanent judges. They wil refer al important matters to you, but alminor matters they will decide themselves, so making things easier for you by sharing the burden with you.
23 אִם אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה תַּעֲשֶׂה וְצִוְּךָ אֱלֹהִים וְיָכָלְתָּ עֲמֹד וְגַם כָּל־הָעָם הַזֶּה עַל־מְקֹמֹו יָבֹא בְשָׁלֹום	23 If you do this -- and may God so command you -- you will be able to stand the strain, and all thesepeople wil go home satisfied.'
24 וַיִּשְׁמַע מֹשֶׁה לְקֹול חֹתְנֹו וַיַּעַשׂ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אָמָר	24 Moses took his father-in-law's advice and did just as he said.
25 וַיִּבְחַר מֹשֶׁה אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם רָאשִׁים עַל־הָעָם שָׂרֵי אֲלָפִים שָׂרֵי מֵאֹות שָׂרֵי חֲמִשִּׁים וְשָׂרֵי עֲשָׂרֹת	25 Moses chose capable men from al Israel and put them in charge of the people as heads ofthousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
26 וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת־הָעָם בְּכָל־עֵת אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַקָּשֶׁה יְבִיאוּן אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וְכָל־הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפּוּטוּ הֵם	26 These acted as the people's permanent judges. They referred hard cases to Moses but decidedminor matters themselves.
27 וַיְשַׁלַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־חֹתְנֹו וַיֵּלֶךְ לֹו אֶל־אַרְצֹו׃ פ	27 Moses then set his father-in-law on his way, and he travelled back to his own country.