Day 34 of 730

¹All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the Lord's commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.

²Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?"

³The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"

⁴Moses cried to the Lord, saying, "What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."

⁵The Lord said to Moses, "Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go.

⁶Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

⁷He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us, or not?"

⁸Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

⁹Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us, and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God's rod in my hand."

¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

¹¹It happened, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

¹²But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. His hands were steady until sunset.

¹³Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

¹⁴The Lord said to Moses, "Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky."

¹⁵Moses built an altar, and called its name the Lord our Banner.

¹⁶He said, "Yah has sworn: 'The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'"

¹Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

²Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,

³and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".

⁴The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."

⁵Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

⁶He said to Moses, "Behold, Jethro, your father-in-law, has come to you, with your wife and her two sons with her."

⁷Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.

⁸Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how the Lord delivered them.

⁹Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰Jethro said, "Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

¹¹Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them."

¹²Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

¹³It happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.

¹⁴When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?"

¹⁵Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

¹⁶When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."

¹⁷Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.

¹⁸You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.

¹⁹Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.

²⁰You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.

²¹Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

²²Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.

²³If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."

²⁴So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

²⁵Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

²⁶They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

²⁷Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.

¹ALEPH I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.

²My soul shall boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.

³Oh magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together.

⁴I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.

⁶This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

⁹Oh fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for there is no lack with those who fear him.

¹⁰The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

¹¹Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹²Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

¹⁴Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵The Lord's eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.

¹⁶The Lord's face is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷They cried, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

²⁰He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

²²The Lord redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

¹My son, do not forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments:

²for length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to you.

³Do not let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

⁸It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.

⁹Honor the Lord with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase:

¹⁰so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

¹¹My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline, neither be weary of his reproof:

¹²for whom the Lord loves, he reproves; even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

¹³Happy is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gets understanding.

¹⁴For her good profit is better than getting silver, and her return is better than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies. None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.

¹⁶Length of days is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor.

¹⁷Her ways are ways of pleasantness. All her paths are peace.

¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Happy is everyone who retains her.

¹⁹By wisdom the Lord founded the earth. By understanding, he established the heavens.

²⁰By his knowledge, the depths were broken up, and the skies drop down the dew.

²¹My son, let them not depart from your eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

²²so they will be life to your soul, and grace for your neck.

²³Then you shall walk in your way securely. Your foot won't stumble.

²⁴When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.

²⁵Do not be afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes:

²⁶for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being taken.

²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

²⁸Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again; tomorrow I will give it to you," when you have it by you.

²⁹Do not devise evil against your neighbor, seeing he dwells securely by you.

³⁰Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy the man of violence. Choose none of his ways.

³²For the perverse is an abomination to the Lord, but his friendship is with the upright.

³³The Lord's curse is in the house of the wicked, but he blesses the habitation of the righteous.

³⁴Surely he is scornful to scoffers, but he gives grace to the humble.

³⁵The wise will inherit glory, but shame will be the promotion of fools.