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Read the Bible
Literal Standard Version
Exodus 18:17
And the father-in-law of Moses says to him, "The thing which you are doing [is] not good;
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Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
Hebrew Names Version
Moshe' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
Moshe' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
King James Version
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Lexham English Bible
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
New Century Version
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "You are not doing this right.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "You are not doing this right.
New English Translation
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good!
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good!
Amplified Bible
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
New American Standard Bible
Moses' father-in-law then said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law then said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Moses father in law said vnto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well.
But Moses father in law said vnto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Contemporary English Version
Jethro replied: That isn't the best way to do it.
Jethro replied: That isn't the best way to do it.
Complete Jewish Bible
Moshe's father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing isn't good.
Moshe's father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing isn't good.
Darby Translation
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou art doing is not good.
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou art doing is not good.
Easy-to-Read Version
But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "This isn't the right way to do this.
But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "This isn't the right way to do this.
English Standard Version
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
George Lamsa Translation
And Moses father-in-law said to him, The thing that you are doing is not good.
And Moses father-in-law said to him, The thing that you are doing is not good.
Good News Translation
Then Jethro said, "You are not doing this right.
Then Jethro said, "You are not doing this right.
Christian Standard Bible®
“What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him.
“What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him.
Literal Translation
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, The thing which you do is not good.
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, The thing which you do is not good.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
His father in lawe sayde vnto him: It is not well that thou doest.
His father in lawe sayde vnto him: It is not well that thou doest.
American Standard Version
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Bible in Basic English
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good.
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Moyses father in lawe sayde vnto hym: It is not well that thou doest.
And Moyses father in lawe sayde vnto hym: It is not well that thou doest.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him: 'The thing that thou doest is not good.
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him: 'The thing that thou doest is not good.
King James Version (1611)
And Moses father in law saide vnto him, The thing that thou doest, is not good.
And Moses father in law saide vnto him, The thing that thou doest, is not good.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, Thou dost not this thing rightly,
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, Thou dost not this thing rightly,
English Revised Version
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Berean Standard Bible
But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Jetro seide, Thou doist a thing not good,
And Jetro seide, Thou doist a thing not good,
Young's Literal Translation
And the father-in-law of Moses saith unto him, `The thing which thou art doing [is] not good;
And the father-in-law of Moses saith unto him, `The thing which thou art doing [is] not good;
Update Bible Version
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that you do is not good.
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that you do is not good.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses's father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou doest [is] not good.
And Moses's father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou doest [is] not good.
World English Bible
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
New King James Version
So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
New Living Translation
"This is not good!" Moses' father-in-law exclaimed.
"This is not good!" Moses' father-in-law exclaimed.
New Life Bible
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
New Revised Standard
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Moses' father-in-law unto him, - Not good, is the thing that thou art doing.
Then said Moses' father-in-law unto him, - Not good, is the thing that thou art doing.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But he said: The thing thou dost is not good.
But he said: The thing thou dost is not good.
Revised Standard Version
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
THE MESSAGE
Moses' father-in-law said, "This is no way to go about it. You'll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can't do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They'll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They'll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they'll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also."
Moses' father-in-law said, "This is no way to go about it. You'll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can't do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They'll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They'll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they'll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Contextual Overview
13And it comes to pass on the next day, that Moses sits to judge the people, and the people stand before Moses from the morning to the evening; 14and the father-in-law of Moses sees all that he is doing for the people and says, "What [is] this thing which you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people standing by you from morning until evening?" 15And Moses says to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to seek God; 16when they have a matter, it has come to me, and I have judged between a man and his neighbor, and made known the statutes of God, and His laws." 17And the father-in-law of Moses says to him, "The thing which you are doing [is] not good;18you surely wear away, both you, and this people which [is] with you, for the thing is too heavy for you, you are not able to do it by yourself. 19Now listen to my voice, I counsel you, and God is with you: be for the people before God, and you have brought in the things to God; 20and you have warned them [concerning] the statutes and the laws, and have made known to them the way in which they go, and the work which they do. 21And you provide out of all the people men of ability, fearing God, men of truth, hating dishonest gain, and have placed [these] over them [for] heads of thousands, heads of hundreds, heads of fifties, and heads of tens, 22and they have judged the people at all times; and it has come to pass, they bring every great matter to you, and they judge every small matter themselves; and lighten it from off yourself, and they have borne with you.
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
not good: Exodus 18:14, Deuteronomy 1:12, 1 Kings 3:8, 1 Kings 3:9, 1 Kings 13:18, 2 Chronicles 19:6, Matthew 17:4, John 13:6-10
Reciprocal: Genesis 20:7 - a prophet Proverbs 27:9 - so Acts 6:2 - we should
Cross-References
Genesis 19:24
and YHWH has rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from YHWH, from the heavens;
and YHWH has rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah brimstone and fire from YHWH, from the heavens;
2 Kings 4:27
And she comes to the man of God, to the hill, and lays hold on his feet, and Gehazi comes near to thrust her away, and the man of God says, "Leave her alone, for her soul [is] bitter to her, and YHWH has hidden [it] from me, and has not declared [it] to me."
And she comes to the man of God, to the hill, and lays hold on his feet, and Gehazi comes near to thrust her away, and the man of God says, "Leave her alone, for her soul [is] bitter to her, and YHWH has hidden [it] from me, and has not declared [it] to me."
2 Chronicles 20:7
Are You not our God? You have dispossessed the inhabitants of this land from before Your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Your friend Abraham for all time,
Are You not our God? You have dispossessed the inhabitants of this land from before Your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Your friend Abraham for all time,
Psalms 25:14
The secret of YHWH [is] for those fearing Him, || And His covenant—to cause them to know.
The secret of YHWH [is] for those fearing Him, || And His covenant—to cause them to know.
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because the servant has not known what his lord does, and I have called you friends, because all things that I heard from My Father, I made known to you.
I no longer call you servants, because the servant has not known what his lord does, and I have called you friends, because all things that I heard from My Father, I made known to you.
James 2:23
And the Writing was fulfilled that is saying, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness"; and, "Friend of God" he was called.
And the Writing was fulfilled that is saying, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness"; and, "Friend of God" he was called.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Moses's father in law said unto him,.... Having observed what he did, and heard his answer to the question he put to him:
the thing that thou doest is not good; not meaning that it was not morally good, or that it was morally evil; for it was certainly a good thing to inquire of the mind and will of God for the people, and to hear and decide matters in controversy between them, and do justice to both parties; but it was not good for the health of Moses; it was not commodious and convenient for him; it was not for his bodily welfare; it was too much for him, as he explains himself in the next verse.
