Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, August 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

New Life Version

Exodus 18:26

They judged the people at all times. They would bring the big troubles to Moses. But they would judge every small trouble 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.
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 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 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

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
Yet one tenth part of the people will stay in it. But it will be burned again, like an oak tree whose roots are still there when it is cut down. The holy seed is all that will be left (of Israel)."
Isaiah 10:22
Even if there are as many Jews as the sand by the sea, only a few of them will return. The plan is to destroy them and it will be right and complete.
Isaiah 19:24
In that day Israel will be the third country with Egypt and Assyria, a good and respected nation on the earth,
Isaiah 65:8
The Lord says, "New wine is found in the grapes, and one says, ‘Do not destroy them, for there is still some good in them.' I will act in the same way for My servants, and not destroy them all.
Jeremiah 5:1
"Go up and down through the streets of Jerusalem, and look and learn. Look in her open places to see if you can find just one man who does what is right and looks for the truth. Then I will forgive this city.
Ezekiel 22:30
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the place where it is broken, to stop Me from destroying the land, but I found no one.
Matthew 24:22
If the time had not been made short, no life would have been saved. Because of God's people, the time will be made short.

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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