Day 110 of 365

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.

¹In the third month after the children of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

²When they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.

³Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:

⁴'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself.

⁵Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine;

⁶and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

⁷Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord commanded him.

⁸All the people answered together, and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

⁹The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever." Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,

¹¹and be ready against the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.

¹²You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, 'Be careful that you do not go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death.

¹³No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain."

¹⁴Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

¹⁵He said to the people, "Be ready by the third day. Do not have sexual relations with a woman."

¹⁶It happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.

¹⁷Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lower part of the mountain.

¹⁸Mount Sinai, all it, smoked, because the Lord descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

¹⁹When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

²⁰The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹The Lord said to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.

²²Let the priests also, who come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth on them."

²³Moses said to the Lord, "The people can't come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify it.'"

²⁴The Lord said to him, "Go down and you shall bring Aaron up with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break forth on them."

²⁵So Moses went down to the people, and told them.

¹God spoke all these words, saying,

²"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

³You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴"You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

⁵you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,

⁶and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

⁸"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

⁹You shall labor six days, and do all your work,

¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;

¹¹for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

¹²"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

¹³"You shall not murder.

¹⁴"You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵"You shall not steal.

¹⁶"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

¹⁸All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.

¹⁹They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but do not let God speak with us, lest we die."

²⁰Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin."

²¹The people stayed at a distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

²²The Lord said to Moses, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

²³You shall most certainly not make alongside of me gods of silver, or gods of gold for yourselves.

²⁴You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.

²⁵If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.

²⁶Neither shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.'

¹The Lord says to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet."

²The Lord will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies.

³Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your power, in holy array. Out of the womb of the morning, you have the dew of your youth.

⁴The Lord has sworn, and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."

⁵The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his wrath.

⁶He will judge among the nations. He will heap up dead bodies. He will crush the ruler of the whole earth.

⁷He will drink of the brook in the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

¹Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.

²A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who causes shame, and shall have a part in the inheritance among the brothers.

³The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.

⁴An evildoer heeds wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

⁵Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.

⁶Children's children are the crown of old men; the glory of children are their parents.

⁷Arrogant speech isn't fitting for a fool, much less do lying lips fit a prince.

⁸A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it; wherever he turns, he prospers.

⁹He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.

¹⁰A rebuke enters deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred lashes into a fool.

¹¹An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

¹²Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

¹³Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.

¹⁴The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.

¹⁵He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

¹⁶Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, seeing he has no understanding?

¹⁷A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.

¹⁸A man void of understanding strikes hands, and becomes collateral in the presence of his neighbor.

¹⁹He who loves disobedience loves strife. One who builds a high gate seeks destruction.

²⁰One who has a perverse heart doesn't find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

²¹He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

²²A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

²³A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴Wisdom is before the face of one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.

²⁶Also to punish the righteous is not good, nor to flog officials for their integrity.

²⁷He who spares his words has knowledge. He who is even tempered is a man of understanding.

²⁸Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is counted wise. When he shuts his lips, he is thought to be discerning.