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Sunday, July 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Exodus 18:18

“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Moses;   Prudence;   Thompson Chain Reference - Courts;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Courts of Justice;   Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Kenites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jethro;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Judge;   Moses;   Ruler;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Biblical Theology;   Elder;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Glory;   Rephidim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jethro;   Judges;   Justice;   Moses;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Decision;   Heavy;   Jethro;   Judge;   Judging;   Moses;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Appeal;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jethro;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
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.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
Surely you will wear out, both you and this people who are with you, because the thing is too difficult for you. You are not able to do it alone.
New Century Version
You and the people who come to you will get too tired. This is too much work for you; you can't do it by yourself.
New English Translation
You will surely wear out, both you and these people who are with you, for this is too heavy a burden for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.
Amplified Bible
"You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you [to bear]; you cannot do it alone.
New American Standard Bible
"You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou both weariest thy selfe greatly, & this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heauie for thee: thou art not able to doe it thy selfe alone.
Legacy Standard Bible
You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
Contemporary English Version
You and the people who come to you will soon be worn out. The job is too much for one person; you can't do it alone.
Complete Jewish Bible
You will certainly wear yourself out — and not only yourself, but these people here with you as well. It's too much for you — you can't do it alone, by yourself.
Darby Translation
Thou wilt be quite exhausted, both thou and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee: thou canst not perform it alone.
Easy-to-Read Version
It is too much work for you to do alone. You cannot do this job by yourself. It wears you out. And it makes the people tired too.
English Standard Version
You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.
George Lamsa Translation
You will surely wear yourself out, both you, and all this people that is with you; for this thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to do it alone.
Good News Translation
You will wear yourself out and these people as well. This is too much for you to do alone.
Literal Translation
Wearing you will wear out, both you and this people with you. For the thing is heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou weeriest thy self, and the people that is with the. This busynesse is to sore for the, thou canst not perfourme it alone.
American Standard Version
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Bible in Basic English
Your strength and that of the people will be completely used up: this work is more than you are able to do by yourself.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou both weryest thy selfe, and this people that is with thee: For this thing is of more wayght, then thou art able to perfourme thy selfe alone.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
King James Version (1611)
Thou wilt surely weare away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heauy for thee; thou art not able to performe it thy selfe alone.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
thou wilt wear away with intolerable weariness, both those and all this people which is with thee: this thing is hard, thou wilt not be able to endure it thyself alone.
English Revised Version
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Berean Standard Bible
Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
thou art wastid with a fonned trauel, bothe thou and this puple which is with thee; the werk is a boue thi strengthis, thou aloone maist not suffre it.
Young's Literal Translation
thou dost surely wear away, both thou, and this people which [is] with thee, for the thing is too heavy for thee, thou art not able to do it by thyself.
Update Bible Version
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.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
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.
New King James Version
Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.
New Living Translation
"You're going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.
New Life Bible
You and the people with you will become tired and weak. For the work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone.
New Revised Standard
You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou wilt get quite worn out, both thou and this people that is with thee, - for the thing is too heavy for thee, thou canst not do it, alone.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou art 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.
Revised Standard Version
You and the people with you will wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

Contextual Overview

13The next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning until evening. 14When Moses’s father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this thing you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?” 15Moses replied to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I make a decision between one man and another. I teach them God’s statutes and laws.” 17“What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him. 18“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone. 19Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to him. 20Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do. 21But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating dishonest profit. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 22They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every major case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear it with you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thou wilt surely wear away: Heb. Fading thou wilt fade, 2 Corinthians 12:15, Philippians 2:30, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:9

thou art: Numbers 11:14-17, Deuteronomy 1:9-12, Acts 6:1-4

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:22 - they shall Exodus 18:23 - God Deuteronomy 1:17 - the cause

Cross-References

Genesis 18:2
He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground,
Genesis 18:3
and said, “My lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant.
Genesis 18:17
Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?
Genesis 18:18
Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.
Genesis 18:25
You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?”
Genesis 18:26
The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Genesis 26:4
I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,
Psalms 72:17
May his name endure forever;as long as the sun shines,may his fame increase.May all nations be blessed by himand call him blessed.
Galatians 3:8
Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nationswill be blessed through you.
Galatians 3:14
The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou wilt surely wear away,.... His natural strength and animal spirits, and so his flesh; he feared his constant application and attendance to business would impair his health, break his constitution, and bring him into a consumption. Moses was naturally of a strong and vigorous constitution; for, forty years after this, even to the time of his death, his natural force was not abated; or "fading thou wilt fade", or, "falling thou wilt fall" r; in allusion to the leaves of trees in autumn, which fade, and wither, and fall:

both thou and this people that is with thee; it was tiresome to the people, as well as fatiguing to Moses, who, because of the multitude of cases, were obliged to wait a long time, some of them from morning to night, and yet could not get their suit to come and so were obliged to attend next day, and perhaps day after day. The Targum of Jonathan is,

"even thou also, Aaron and his sons, and the elders that are with them;''

and so Jarchi; but these do not seem to have been assisting to him at all, as appears by what follows:

for this thing is too heavy for thee: it was too great a burden upon his shoulders, what his strength was not equal to; for though his internal abilities were exceeding great, and he had a good will to the work, to serve God and his people, yet it was more, humanly speaking, than his bodily strength would admit of, or any mortal man could go through:

thou art not able to perform it thyself alone; and this Moses was sensible of himself afterwards, and says the same thing, Deuteronomy 1:9.

r נבל תבל "marcescendo marcesses", Montanus; so Ainsworth; "cadendo cades", Pagninus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou wilt surely wear away - From decay and exhaustion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 18:18. Thou wilt surely wear away — נבל תבל nabol tibbol, in wearing way, thou wilt wear away - by being thus continually employed, thou wilt soon become finally exhausted. And this people that is with thee; as if he had said, "Many of them are obliged to wait so long for the determination of their suit that their patience must be soon necessarily worn out, as there is no one to hear every cause but thyself."


 
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