Jethro

What the Bible says

Exodus 3:1-2

¹Now Moses fed the sheep of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Madian: and he drove the flock to the inner parts of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. ²And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he saw that the bush was on fire and was not burnt.

Exodus 18:1, 10-12

¹And when Jethro the priest of Madian, the kinsman of Moses, had heard all the things that God had done to Moses, and to Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought forth Israel out of Egypt, ¹⁰And he said: Blessed is the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of Pharao, and out of the hand of the Egyptians, who hath delivered his people out of the hand of Egypt. ¹¹Now I know that the Lord is great above all gods: because they dealt proudly against them. ¹²So Jethro the kinsman of Moses offered holocausts and sacrifices to God: and Aaron and all the ancients of Israel came, to eat bread with them before God.

Exodus 18:13-23

¹³And the next day Moses sat, to judge the people, who stood by Moses from morning until night. ¹⁴And when his kinsman had seen all things that he did among the people, he said: What is it that thou dost among the people? Why sittest thou alone, and all the people wait from morning till night. ¹⁵And Moses answered him: The people come to me to seek the judgment of God. ¹⁶And when any controversy falleth out among them, they come to me to judge between them, and to shew the precepts of God, and his laws. ¹⁷But he said: The thing thou dost is not good. ¹⁸Thou are spent with foolish labour, both thou and this people that is with thee: the business is above thy strength, thou alone canst not bear it. ¹⁹But hear my words and counsels, and God shall be with thee. Be thou to the people in those things that pertain to God, to bring their words to him: ²⁰And to shew the people the ceremonies and the manner of worshipping, and the way wherein they ought to walk, and the work that they ought to do. ²¹And provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, in whom there is truth, and that hate avarice, and appoint of them rulers of thousands, and of hundreds, and of fifties, and of tens. ²²Who may judge the people at all times: and when any great matter soever shall fall out, let them refer it to thee, and let them judge the lesser matters only: that so it may be lighter for thee, the burden being shared out unto others. ²³If thou dost this, thou shalt fulfill the commandment of God, and shalt be able to bear his precepts: and all this people shall return to their places with peace.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.