Lectionary Calendar
Monday, August 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible
New Life Version
Exodus 18:17
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Jump to:Bible Study Tools • Parallel Bible Verse • Bible Contextual Overview • Bible Cross-References • Gill's Bible Notes
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 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
13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone and judge and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?" 15 Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to learn God's will. 16 When they argue, they come to me. And I judge between a man and his neighbor. I teach them the Laws of God." 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will become tired and weak. For the work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone. 19 Now listen to me. I will tell you what you should do, and God be with you. You speak for the people before God. Bring the troubles to God. 20 Then teach them the Laws. Make them know the way they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Also, you should choose from the people able men who fear God, men of truth who hate to get things by doing wrong. Have these men rule over the people, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. 22 Let them judge the people at all times. Have all the big troubles brought to you. But have them judge the small troubles. So it will be easier for you. They will share the work 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
Then the Lord poured fire from the heavens upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
Then the Lord poured fire from the heavens upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
2 Kings 4:27
When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, "Let her alone. For her soul is troubled within her. The Lord has hidden it from me. He has not told me."
When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, "Let her alone. For her soul is troubled within her. The Lord has hidden it from me. He has not told me."
2 Chronicles 20:7
O our God, did You not make the people of this land leave so that Your people Israel could have it and give it to the children of Your friend Abraham forever?
O our God, did You not make the people of this land leave so that Your people Israel could have it and give it to the children of Your friend Abraham forever?
Psalms 25:14
The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him. And He will make them know His agreement.
The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him. And He will make them know His agreement.
John 15:15
I do not call you servants that I own anymore. A servant does not know what his owner is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father.
I do not call you servants that I own anymore. A servant does not know what his owner is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from My Father.
James 2:23
It happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They say, "Abraham put his trust in God and he became right with God." He was called the friend of God.
It happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They say, "Abraham put his trust in God and he became right with God." He was called the friend of God.
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.
