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Read the Bible

Green's Literal Translation

Exodus 18:26

And they judged the people at all times; the hard matters they brought to Moses, and every small matter they judged themselves.

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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they iudged the people at all seasons, but they brought the hard causes vnto Moses: for they iudged all small matters themselues.
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.
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 And it happened on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood beside Moses from the morning until the evening. 14 And Moses' father-in-law saw all he was doing to the people. And he said, What is this thing which you are doing to the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people standing beside you from morning until evening? 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to seek God. 16 When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor. And I make known the statutes of God, and His laws. 17 And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, The thing which you do is not good. 18 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. 19 Now listen to my voice. I will counsel you, and may God be with you. You be for this people before God, and you bring the matters to God. 20 And you warn them as to the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they should walk, and the work which they should do. 21 And you, you shall look out men of ability out of all the people, who fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain. And you place these over them as rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. And it shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, and every small matter they shall judge. And you make it easy on yourself, and let them bear with you.

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 a tenth shall be in it, and it shall return and be consumed like the terebinth and like the oak that in being felled yet has its stump (the holy seed is its stump).
Isaiah 10:22
For though Your people Israel is like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of it shall return; a decisive end, overflowing with righteousness.
Isaiah 19:24
In that day Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,
Isaiah 65:8
So says Jehovah: As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it; so I will do for the sake of My servants, not to destroy the whole.
Jeremiah 5:1
Roam around in Jerusalem's streets and see now, and know, and seek in her plazas if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth; and I will pardon her.
Ezekiel 22:30
And I sought among them a man to wall up a wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
Matthew 24:22
And except those days were shortened, not any flesh would be saved. But on account of the elect, those days will be 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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