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Exodus 17-18
King James Version
Exodus 17-18
King James Version
17 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
16 For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
18 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' 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 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
3 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 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:
5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:
6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
7 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 And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto 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 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 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 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.
12 And Jethro, Moses' 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' father in law before God.
13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
14 And when Moses' 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 unto even?
15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
18 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 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21 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 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
23 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 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.
25 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 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27 And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
Exodus 17-18
1599 Geneva Bible
Exodus 17-18
1599 Geneva Bible
17 1 The Israelites come into Rephidim, and grudge for water. 6 Water is given them out of the rock. 11 Moses holdeth up his hands, and they overcome the Amalekites. 15 Moses buildeth an altar to the Lord.
1 And all the Congregation of the children of Israel departed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys at the [a]commandment of the Lord, and camped in [b]Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.
2 (A)Wherefore the people contended with Moses, and said, Give us water, that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why contend ye with me? wherefore do ye [c]tempt the Lord?
3 So the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore hast thou thus brought us out of Egypt, to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do to this people? for they be almost ready to [d]stone me.
5 And the Lord answered to Moses, Go before the people, and take with thee of the Elders of Israel: and thy rod wherewith thou (B)smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go:
6 (C)Behold, I will stand there before thee upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite on the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the Elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place [e]Massah and [f]Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they had tempted the Lord, saying, Is the [g]Lord among us, or no?
8 ¶ (D)Then came [h]Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us out men, and go fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the [i]hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses bade him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur, went up to the top of the hill.
11 And when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed: but when he let his hand [j]down, Amalek prevailed.
12 Now Moses’ hands were heavy: therefore they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it: and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side: so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 ¶ And the Lord said to Moses, Write this for a remembrance [k]in the book, and [l]rehearse it to Joshua: for (E)I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
15 (And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it [m]Jehovah Nissi.)
16 Also he said, [n]The Lord hath sworn, that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
18 1 Jethro cometh to see Moses his son-in-law. 8 Moses telleth him of the wonders of Egypt. 9 Jethro rejoiceth and offereth sacrifice to God. 21 What manner of men officers and judges ought to be. 24 Moses obeyeth Jethro’s counsel in appointing officers.
1 When Jethro the (F)Priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt,
2 Then Jethro the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah Moses’ wife, (after he had [o]sent her away)
3 And her two sons, (whereof the one was called (G)Gershom: for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:
4 And the name of the other was Eliezer: for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh).
5 And Jethro Moses’ father-in-law came with his two sons, and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he camped by the [p]mount of God.
6 And he [q]said to Moses, I thy father-in-law Jethro am come to thee, and thy wife and her two sons with her.
7 ¶ And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him, and each asked other of his [r]welfare: and they came into the tent.
8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come unto them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them.
9 And Jethro rejoiced at all the goodness, which the Lord had showed to Israel, and because he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10 Therefore Jethro said, [s]Blessed be the Lord who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh: who hath also delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods: for as they have dealt (H)proudly with them, so are they [t]recompensed.
12 Then Jethro Moses’ father-in-law took burnt offerings and sacrifices, to offer unto God. And Aaron and all the Elders of Israel came to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law [u]before God.
13 ¶ Now on the morrow, when Moses sat to judge the people, the people stood about Moses from morning unto even.
14 And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even?
15 And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to seek [v]God.
16 When they have a matter, they come unto me, and I judge between one and another, and declare the ordinances of God, and his laws.
17 But Moses’ father-in-law said unto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well.
18 Thou both [w]weariest thyself greatly, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee: (I)thou art not able to do it thyself alone.
19 Hear now my [x]voice, (I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee) be thou for the people to [y]Godward, and report thou the causes unto God,
20 And admonish them of the ordinances, and of the laws, and show them the way, wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21 Moreover, provide thou among all the people [z]men of courage, fearing God, men dealing truly, hating covetousness: and appoint such over them to be rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, and rulers over tens.
22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: but every great matter let them bring unto thee, and let them judge all small causes: so shall it be easier for thee, when they shall bear the burden with thee.
23 If thou do this thing, (and God so command thee) both thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go quietly to their place.
24 So Moses [aa]obeyed the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said:
25 And Moses chose men of courage out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers over thousands, rulers over hundreds, rulers over fifties, and rulers over tens.
26 And they judged the people at all seasons, but they brought the hard causes to Moses: for they judged all small matters themselves.
27 Afterward Moses [ab]let his father-in-law depart, and he went into his country.
Footnotes
- Exodus 17:1 Hebrew, at the mouth.
- Exodus 17:1 Moses here noteth not every place where they camped, as Num. 33, but only those places, where some notable thing was done.
- Exodus 17:2 Why distrust you God? why look ye not for succor of him without murmuring against us?
- Exodus 17:4 How ready the people are for their own matters to slay the true Prophets, and how slow they are to revenge God’s cause against his enemies and false Prophets.
- Exodus 17:7 Or, tentation.
- Exodus 17:7 Or, strife.
- Exodus 17:7 When in adversity we think God to be absent, then we neglect his promise, and make him a liar.
- Exodus 17:8 Who came of Eliphaz, son of Esau, Gen. 36:12.
- Exodus 17:9 That is, Horeb, which is also called Sinai.
- Exodus 17:11 So that we see how dangerous a thing it is to faint in prayer.
- Exodus 17:14 In the book of the Law.
- Exodus 17:14 Hebrew, put it in the ears of Joshua.
- Exodus 17:15 That is, the Lord is my banner as he declared by holding up his rod and his hands.
- Exodus 17:16 Hebrew, the hand of the Lord upon the throne.
- Exodus 18:2 It may seem that he sent her back for a time to her father for her impatience, lest she should be a let to his vocation, which was so dangerous, Exod. 4:25.
- Exodus 18:5 Horeb is called the mount of God, because God wrought many miracles there. So Peter calleth the mount where Christ was transfigured, the holy mount: for by Christ’s presence it was holy for a time, 2 Pet. 1:18.
- Exodus 18:6 That is, he sent messengers to say unto him.
- Exodus 18:7 Hebrew, of peace.
- Exodus 18:10 Whereby it is evident that he worshipped the true God, and therefore Moses refused not to marry his daughter.
- Exodus 18:11 For they that drowned the children of the Israelites, perished themselves by water.
- Exodus 18:12 They ate in that place, where the sacrifice was offered: for part was burnt, and the rest eaten.
- Exodus 18:15 That is, to know God’s will, and to have justice executed.
- Exodus 18:18 Hebrew, thou wilt faint and fall.
- Exodus 18:19 Or, counsel.
- Exodus 18:19 Judge thou in hard causes, which cannot be decided but by consulting with God.
- Exodus 18:21 What manner of men ought to be chosen to bear office.
- Exodus 18:24 Godly counsel ought ever to be obeyed, though it come of our inferiors, for to such God oftentimes giveth wisdom to humble them that are exalted, and to declare that one member hath need of another.
- Exodus 18:27 Read the occasion, Num. 10:29.
Exodus 17-18
New International Version
Exodus 17-18
New International Version
Water From the Rock
17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,(A) traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,(B) but there was no water(C) for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water(D) to drink.”(E)
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”(F)
3 But the people were thirsty(G) for water there, and they grumbled(H) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die(I) of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone(J) me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff(K) with which you struck the Nile,(L) and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(M) Strike(N) the rock, and water(O) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah[a](P) and Meribah[b](Q) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Amalekites Defeated
8 The Amalekites(R) came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.(S) 9 Moses said to Joshua,(T) “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff(U) of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur(V) went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,(W) but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.(X) 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite(Y) army with the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(Z) this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out(AA) the name of Amalek(AB) from under heaven.”
15 Moses built an altar(AC) and called(AD) it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites(AE) from generation to generation.”(AF)
Jethro Visits Moses
18 Now Jethro,(AG) the priest of Midian(AH) and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.(AI)
2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,(AJ) his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons.(AK) One son was named Gershom,[e] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;(AL) 4 and the other was named Eliezer,[f](AM) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;(AN) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain(AO) of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down(AP) and kissed(AQ) him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships(AR) they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved(AS) them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things(AT) the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord,(AU) who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,(AV) for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”(AW) 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,(AX) brought a burnt offering(AY) and other sacrifices(AZ) to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal(BA) with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence(BB) of God.
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.(BC) 16 Whenever they have a dispute,(BD) it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”(BE)
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.(BF) 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.(BG) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes(BH) to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,(BI) and show them the way they are to live(BJ) and how they are to behave.(BK) 21 But select capable men(BL) from all the people—men who fear(BM) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain(BN)—and appoint them as officials(BO) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case(BP) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share(BQ) it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders(BR) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.(BS) 26 They served as judges(BT) for the people at all times. The difficult cases(BU) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.(BV)
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.(BW)
Footnotes
- Exodus 17:7 Massah means testing.
- Exodus 17:7 Meribah means quarreling.
- Exodus 17:16 Or to
- Exodus 17:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Exodus 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.
- Exodus 18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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