Study Desk

Then Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, came to Moses with his sons and his wife to the desert by the mountain of God where he was staying.

Then Moses went to meet his father-in-law. He bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other if all was well, and went into the tent.

Moses told his father-in-law all the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians because of Israel. He told him about how they had suffered on the way, and how the Lord had saved them.

Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to learn God's will.

When they argue, they come to me. And I judge between a man and his neighbor. I teach them the Laws of God."

Moses listened to his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

Then Moses let his father-in-law return to his own land.

"Do not use the name of the Lord your God in a false way. For the Lord will punish the one who uses His name in a false way.

"Do not have a desire for your neighbor's house. Do not have a desire for his wife or his male servant, his female servant, or his bull or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

If he comes alone, he will leave by himself. If he is married, then his wife will leave with him.

If his owner gives him a wife and she gives birth to his sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her owner, and he will leave by himself.

then his owner will bring him to the judges. And he will bring him to the door or the side of the door. There his owner will make a hole in his ear with a sharp object. And he will serve him all his life.

"If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she is not to go free as the male servants do.

If he takes her for his son, he will act toward her as with a daughter.

But if a man wants to hurt his neighbor and he plans to kill him, then you take him away from My altar and put him to death.

"Whoever hits his father or his mother will be put to death.

Whoever curses his father or his mother will be put to death.

"When men argue and one hits the other with a stone or with his hand, and he does not die but has to stay in bed because of it,

then if he gets up and walks around outside using his walking stick, the one who hit him will not be punished. He will only pay for the loss of his time. And he will take care of him until he is healed.

"When a man hits his male or female servant with a stick so that he or she dies, he will be punished.