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Exodus 17-18
Easy-to-Read Version
Exodus 17-18
Easy-to-Read Version
Water From the Rock
17 The Israelites left the western Sinai desert.[a] They traveled all together from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they turned against Moses and started arguing with him. They said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses said to them, “Why have you turned against me? Why are you testing the Lord?”
3 But the people were very thirsty, so they continued complaining to Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here so that we, our children, and our cattle will all die without water?”
4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What can I do with these people? They are ready to kill me.”
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go before the Israelites. Take some of the elders of the people with you. Carry your walking stick with you. This is the stick that you used when you hit the Nile River. 6 I will stand before you on a rock at Horeb.[b] Hit that rock with the walking stick and water will come out of it. Then the people can drink.”
Moses did these things and the elders of Israel saw it. 7 Moses named that place Meribah[c] and Massah,[d] because this was the place that the Israelites turned against him and tested the Lord. The people wanted to know if the Lord was with them or not.
War With the Amalekites
8 At Rephidim the Amalekites came and fought against the Israelites. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men and go and fight the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill and watch you. I will be holding the walking stick God gave me.”
10 Joshua obeyed Moses and went to fight the Amalekites the next day. At the same time Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 Any time Moses held his hands in the air, the men of Israel would start winning the fight. But when Moses put his hands down, the men of Israel began to lose the fight.
12 After some time, Moses’ arms became tired. So they put a large rock under Moses for him to sit on. Then Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands in the air. Aaron was on one side of Moses and Hur was on the other side. They held his hands up like this until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua and his men defeated the Amalekites in this battle.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write about this battle. Write these things in a book so that people will remember what happened here. And be sure to tell Joshua that I will completely destroy the Amalekites from the earth.”
15 Then Moses built an altar and named it, “The Lord is My Flag.” 16 Moses said, “I lifted my hands toward the Lord’s throne. So the Lord fought against the Amalekites, as he always has.”
Advice From Moses’ Father-in-Law
18 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was a priest in Midian. He heard about the many ways that God helped Moses and the Israelites. He heard about the Lord leading the Israelites out of Egypt. 2 So Jethro went to Moses while Moses was camped near the mountain of God.[e] Jethro brought Moses’ wife, Zipporah, with him. (Zipporah was not with Moses, because Moses had sent her home.) 3 Jethro also brought Moses’ two sons with him. The first son was named Gershom,[f] because when he was born, Moses said, “I am a stranger in a foreign country.” 4 The other son was named Eliezer,[g] because when he was born, Moses said, “The God of my father helped me and saved me from the king of Egypt.” 5 So Jethro went to Moses while Moses was camped in the desert near the mountain of God. Moses’ wife and his two sons were with Jethro.
6 Jethro sent a message to Moses that said, “This is your father-in-law Jethro. I am bringing your wife and her two sons to you.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. Moses bowed down before him and kissed him. The two men asked about each other’s health. Then they went into Moses’ tent to talk more. 8 Moses told Jethro everything the Lord had done for the Israelites. He told what the Lord did to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. He told about all the problems they had along the way. And he told his father-in-law how the Lord saved the Israelites every time there was trouble.
9 Jethro was happy when he heard all the good things the Lord had done for Israel. He was glad that the Lord had freed the Israelites from the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise the Lord! He freed you from the power of Egypt. He saved you from Pharaoh. 11 Now I know the Lord is greater than all the gods. They thought they were in control, but look what God did!”
12 Jethro got some sacrifices and offerings to honor God. Then Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat with Moses’ father-in-law Jethro. They all ate together there with God.
13 The next day, Moses had the special job of judging the people. There were so many people that they had to stand before him all day.
14 Jethro saw Moses judging the people. He asked, “Why are you doing this? Why are you the only judge? And why do people come to you all day?”
15 Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “The people come to me and ask me to ask for God’s decision for their problem. 16 If people have an argument, they come to me, and I decide which person is right. In this way I teach the people God’s laws and teachings.”
17 But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “This isn’t the right way to do this. 18 It is too much work for you to do alone. You cannot do this job by yourself. It wears you out. And it makes the people tired too. 19 Now, listen to me. Let me give you some advice. And I pray God will be with you. You should continue listening to the problems of the people. And you should continue to speak to God about these things. 20 You should explain God’s laws and teachings to the people. Warn them not to break the laws. Tell them the right way to live and what they should do. 21 But you should also choose some of the people to be judges and leaders.
“Choose good men you can trust—men who respect God. Choose men who will not change their decisions for money. Make these men rulers over the people. There should be rulers over 1000 people, 100 people, 50 people, and even over ten people. 22 Let these rulers judge the people. If there is a very important case, then they can come to you and let you decide what to do. But they can decide the other cases themselves. In this way these men will share your work with you, and it will be easier for you to lead the people. 23 If you do this as God directs you, then you will be able to do your job without tiring yourself out. And the people can still have all their problems solved before they return home.”
24 So Moses did what Jethro told him. 25 Moses chose good men from among the Israelites. He made them leaders over the people. There were rulers over 1000 people, 100 people, 50 people, and ten people. 26 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.
27 After a short time Moses said goodbye to his father-in-law Jethro, and Jethro went back to his own home.
Footnotes
- Exodus 17:1 western Sinai desert Literally, “desert of Sin.”
- Exodus 17:6 Horeb Another name for Mount Sinai.
- Exodus 17:7 Meribah This name means “argument” or “rebellion.”
- Exodus 17:7 Massah This name means “trial,” “temptation,” or “test.”
- Exodus 18:2 mountain of God That is, Mount Horeb (Sinai).
- Exodus 18:3 Gershom This name is like the Hebrew words meaning “a stranger there.”
- Exodus 18:4 Eliezer This name means “My God helps.”
Exodus 17-18
New International Version
Exodus 17-18
New International Version
Water From the Rock
17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,(A) traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,(B) but there was no water(C) for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water(D) to drink.”(E)
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”(F)
3 But the people were thirsty(G) for water there, and they grumbled(H) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die(I) of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone(J) me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff(K) with which you struck the Nile,(L) and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(M) Strike(N) the rock, and water(O) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah[a](P) and Meribah[b](Q) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Amalekites Defeated
8 The Amalekites(R) came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.(S) 9 Moses said to Joshua,(T) “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff(U) of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur(V) went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,(W) but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.(X) 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite(Y) army with the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(Z) this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out(AA) the name of Amalek(AB) from under heaven.”
15 Moses built an altar(AC) and called(AD) it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites(AE) from generation to generation.”(AF)
Jethro Visits Moses
18 Now Jethro,(AG) the priest of Midian(AH) and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.(AI)
2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,(AJ) his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons.(AK) One son was named Gershom,[e] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;(AL) 4 and the other was named Eliezer,[f](AM) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;(AN) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain(AO) of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down(AP) and kissed(AQ) him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships(AR) they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved(AS) them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things(AT) the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord,(AU) who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,(AV) for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”(AW) 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,(AX) brought a burnt offering(AY) and other sacrifices(AZ) to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal(BA) with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence(BB) of God.
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.(BC) 16 Whenever they have a dispute,(BD) it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”(BE)
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.(BF) 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.(BG) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes(BH) to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,(BI) and show them the way they are to live(BJ) and how they are to behave.(BK) 21 But select capable men(BL) from all the people—men who fear(BM) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain(BN)—and appoint them as officials(BO) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case(BP) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share(BQ) it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders(BR) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.(BS) 26 They served as judges(BT) for the people at all times. The difficult cases(BU) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.(BV)
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.(BW)
Footnotes
- Exodus 17:7 Massah means testing.
- Exodus 17:7 Meribah means quarreling.
- Exodus 17:16 Or to
- Exodus 17:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Exodus 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.
- Exodus 18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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