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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Exodus 18:26

And they iudged the people at all seasons, but they brought the hard causes vnto Moses: for they iudged all small matters themselues.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Court;   Government;   Moses;   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;   Justice;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Judge;   Moses;   Ruler;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Elder;   Moses;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Rephidim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Rephidim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jethro;   Judges;   Justice;   Moses;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elder;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moshe, but every small matter they judged themselves.
King James Version
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Lexham English Bible
And they judged the people all the time; the difficult issues they would bring to Moses, and every minor issue they would judge themselves.
New Century Version
These officers solved disagreements among the people all the time. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but they decided the simple cases themselves.
New English Translation
They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.
Amplified Bible
And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but every minor dispute they judged and decided themselves.
New American Standard Bible
Then they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult matter to Moses, but they would judge every minor matter themselves.
Legacy Standard Bible
And they judged the people at all times; the difficult matter they would bring to Moses, but every minor matter they themselves would judge.
Contemporary English Version
They served as judges, deciding the easy cases themselves, but bringing the more difficult ones to Moses.
Complete Jewish Bible
As a general rule, they settled the people's disputes — the difficult cases they brought to Moshe, but every simple matter they decided themselves.
Darby Translation
And they judged the people at all times: the hard matters they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged.
Easy-to-Read Version
These rulers were judges for the people. The people could always bring their arguments to these rulers, and Moses had to decide only the most important cases.
English Standard Version
And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
George Lamsa Translation
And they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Good News Translation
They served as judges for the people on a permanent basis, bringing the difficult cases to Moses but deciding the smaller disputes themselves.
Christian Standard Bible®
They judged the people at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Moses, but they would judge every minor case themselves.
Literal Translation
And they judged the people at all times; the hard matters they brought to Moses, and every small matter they judged themselves.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that they might allwaye iudge the people. As for soch causes as were herde, they brought them vnto Moses, and iudged the small matters them selues.
American Standard Version
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Bible in Basic English
And they were judges in the causes of the people at all times: the hard questions they put before Moses; but on every small point they gave decisions themselves.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they iudged the people at all seasons: but brought the harde causes vnto Moyses, and iudged all small matters them selues.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
King James Version (1611)
And they iudged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought vnto Moses, but euery small matter they iudged themselues.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they judged the people at all times; and every too burdensome matter they brought to Moses, but every light matter they judged themselves.
English Revised Version
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Berean Standard Bible
And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
whiche demeden the puple in al tyme; forsothe, whateuer thing was hardere, thei telden to Moises, and thei demeden esiere thingis oneli.
Young's Literal Translation
and they have judged the people at all times; the hard matter they bring in unto Moses, and every small matter they judge themselves.
Update Bible Version
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
World English Bible
They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
New King James Version
So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
New Living Translation
These men were always available to solve the people's common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.
New Life Bible
They judged the people at all times. They would bring the big troubles to Moses. But they would judge every small trouble themselves.
New Revised Standard
And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any minor case they decided themselves.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they shall judge the people, at any time, - the hard matters, shall they bring in unto Moses, but all the small matters, shall, they themselves, judge.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they judged the people at all times: and whatsoever was of greater difficulty they referred to him, and they judged the easier cases only.
Revised Standard Version
And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They judged the people at all times; the difficult dispute they would bring to Moses, but every minor dispute they themselves would judge.

Contextual Overview

13 Now on the morow, when Moses sate to iudge the people, the people stoode about Moses from morning vnto euen. 14 And when Moses father in law saw all that he did to the people, he sayde, What is this that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thy selfe alone, and all the people stande about thee from morning vnto euen? 15 And Moses sayd vnto his father in law, Because the people come vnto me to seeke God. 16 When they haue a matter, they come vnto me, and I iudge betweene one and another, and declare the ordinances of God, and his lawes. 17 But Moses father in law said vnto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well. 18 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. 19 Heare nowe my voyce, (I will giue thee counsell, and God shalbe with thee) be thou for the people to Godwarde, and report thou the causes vnto God, 20 And admonish them of the ordinances, & of the lawes, & shew them the way, wherein they must walke, and the worke that they must do. 21 Moreouer, prouide thou among al the people men of courage, fearing God, men dealing truely, hating couetousnesse: and appoynt such ouer them to be rulers ouer thousandes, rulers ouer hundreths, rulers ouer fifties, and rulers ouer tennes. 22 And let them iudge the people at all seasons: but euery great matter let them bring vnto thee, and let them iudge all small causes: so shall it be easier for thee, when they shal beare the burden with thee.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

at all: Exodus 18:14, Exodus 18:22

the hard causes: Exodus 18:15, Exodus 18:22, Deuteronomy 17:8, 1 Kings 3:16-28, 1 Kings 10:1, Job 29:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 24:14 - if any man Leviticus 24:11 - brought him Numbers 9:6 - they came Numbers 25:5 - judges Deuteronomy 1:15 - I took Deuteronomy 1:17 - the cause Deuteronomy 16:18 - Judges Joshua 24:1 - called Judges 4:5 - came up 2 Samuel 15:2 - came 2 Chronicles 19:7 - let the

Cross-References

Isaiah 6:13
But yet in it shalbe a tenth, and shall returne, and shalbe eaten vp as an elme or an oke, which haue a substance in them, when they cast their leaues: so the holy seede shall be the substance thereof.
Isaiah 10:22
For though thy people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, yet shall the remnant of them returne. The consumption decreed shall ouerflow with righteousnesse.
Isaiah 19:24
In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and Asshur, euen a blessing in the middes of the land.
Isaiah 65:8
Thus sayth the Lord, As the wine is found in the cluster, and one sayth, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it, so will I doe for my seruants sakes, that I may not destroy them whole.
Jeremiah 5:1
Rvnne to and fro by the streetes of Ierusalem, and beholde nowe, and knowe, and inquire in the open places thereof, if ye can finde a man, or if there be any that executeth iudgement, and seeketh the trueth, and I will spare it.
Ezekiel 22:30
And I sought for a man among them, that should make vp the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
Matthew 24:22
And except those dayes should be shortened, there should no flesh be saued: but for the elects sake those dayes shalbe shortened.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they judged the people at all seasons,.... Any day in the week, or any time in the day, whenever there was any occasion for them, and cases were brought before them:

the hard cases they brought unto Moses; that is, the judges brought them to Moses when such came before them which were too hard for them, it was difficult to them to determine rightly about them, then they brought them to be heard and decided by him; for the judges, and not the people, best knew when a case was hard or easy to determine:

but every small matter they judged themselves; and gave it as they saw was most agreeable to justice and equity, and did not trouble Moses with it; by which means he was eased of a great deal of business and fatigue, which was Jethro's view in giving the advice he did.


 
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