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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Exodus 18:17

His father in lawe sayde vnto him: It is not well that thou doest.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Moses;   Prudence;   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;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Judge;   Moses;   Ruler;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Elder;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Deuteronomy, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Exodus, Book of;   Rephidim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jethro;   Judges;   Justice;   Moses;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Trial-At-Law;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Appeal;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Sinai;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Decision;   Jethro;   Judge;   Judging;   Moses;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Appeal;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jethro;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Moshe' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
King James Version
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Lexham English Bible
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
New Century Version
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "You are not doing this right.
New English Translation
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good!
Amplified Bible
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
New American Standard Bible
Moses' father-in-law then said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Moses father in law said vnto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.
Contemporary English Version
Jethro replied: That isn't the best way to do it.
Complete Jewish Bible
Moshe's father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing isn't good.
Darby Translation
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou art doing is not good.
Easy-to-Read Version
But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "This isn't the right way to do this.
English Standard Version
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
George Lamsa Translation
And Moses father-in-law said to him, The thing that you are doing is not good.
Good News Translation
Then Jethro said, "You are not doing this right.
Christian Standard Bible®
“What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him.
Literal Translation
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, The thing which you do is not good.
American Standard Version
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Bible in Basic English
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Moyses father in lawe sayde vnto hym: It is not well that thou doest.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Moses' father-in-law said unto him: 'The thing that thou doest is not good.
King James Version (1611)
And Moses father in law saide vnto him, The thing that thou doest, is not good.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, Thou dost not this thing rightly,
English Revised Version
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Berean Standard Bible
But Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Jetro seide, Thou doist a thing not good,
Young's Literal Translation
And the father-in-law of Moses saith unto him, `The thing which thou art doing [is] not good;
Update Bible Version
And Moses' father-in-law said to him, The thing that you do is not good.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses's father-in-law said to him, The thing that thou doest [is] not good.
World English Bible
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
New King James Version
So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
New Living Translation
"This is not good!" Moses' father-in-law exclaimed.
New Life Bible
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
New Revised Standard
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Moses' father-in-law unto him, - Not good, is the thing that thou art doing.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But he said: The thing thou dost is not good.
Revised Standard Version
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.
THE MESSAGE
Moses' father-in-law said, "This is no way to go about it. You'll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can't do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They'll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They'll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they'll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you'll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you are doing is not good.

Contextual Overview

13 On the next morow sat Moses to iudge the people, and the people stode roude aboute Moses from the mornynge vntyll ye euen. 14 But whan his father in lawe sawe all that he dyd with the people, he sayde: What is this, that thou doest with the people? Wherfore syttest thou alone, and all ye people stonde rounde aboute from the morninge vntyll the euen? 15 Moses answered him: The people come to me, & axe councell at God: 16 for whan they haue eny thinge to do, they come vnto me, that I maye iudge betwixte euery one & his neghboure, and shewe them the statutes of God, and his lawes. 17 His father in lawe sayde vnto him: It is not well that thou doest. 18 Thou weeriest thy self, and the people that is with the. This busynesse is to sore for the, thou canst not perfourme it alone. 19 But herken vnto my voyce, I will geue the councell, and God shall be with the. Be thou vnto the people to God warde, and brynge the causes before God, 20 and prouide them with statutes and lawes, that thou mayest shewe the the waie wherin they shulde walke, and the workes that they shulde do. 21 But loke out amonge all the people, for honest men, that feare God, soch as are true, & hate couetousnes: make these rulers ouer them, some ouer thousandes, ouer hundredes, ouer fiftie, and ouer ten, 22 that they maye allwaye iudge the people. But where there is eny greate matter, that they brynge the same vnto the, and iudge the small causes them selues: so shall it be lighter for the, yf they beare the burthen with the.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

not good: Exodus 18:14, Deuteronomy 1:12, 1 Kings 3:8, 1 Kings 3:9, 1 Kings 13:18, 2 Chronicles 19:6, Matthew 17:4, John 13:6-10

Reciprocal: Genesis 20:7 - a prophet Proverbs 27:9 - so Acts 6:2 - we should

Cross-References

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORDE caused brymstone and fyre to rayne downe from the LORDE out of heauen vpon Sodoma and Gomorra,
2 Kings 4:27
But whan she came to the man of God vpon ye mount, she helde him by his fete. And Gehasi stepte to her, to put her awaye. But ye man of God sayde: Let her alone, for hir soule is in heuynes, and the LORDE hath hyd it fro me, and not shewed it me.
2 Chronicles 20:7
Hast not thou or God expelled the inhabiters of this londe before thy people of Israel? and hast geue it vnto the sede of Abraham thy louer for euer?
Psalms 25:14
The secrete of the LORDE is amonge them that feare him, and he sheweth them his couenaunt.
John 15:15
Hence forth call I you not seruauntes, for a seruaunt knoweth not what his lorde doeth. But I haue sayde that ye are frendes: For all that I haue herde of my father, haue I shewed vnto you.
James 2:23
& the scripture was fulfilled which faith: Abraha beleued God and it was reputed vnto him for rightewesnes: and he was called ye frende of God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Moses's father in law said unto him,.... Having observed what he did, and heard his answer to the question he put to him:

the thing that thou doest is not good; not meaning that it was not morally good, or that it was morally evil; for it was certainly a good thing to inquire of the mind and will of God for the people, and to hear and decide matters in controversy between them, and do justice to both parties; but it was not good for the health of Moses; it was not commodious and convenient for him; it was not for his bodily welfare; it was too much for him, as he explains himself in the next verse.


 
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