Study Desk

Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset.

Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. And he heard what the Lord God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.

The next morning Moses sat down at the place where he decided legal cases for the people, and everyone crowded around him until evening.

Jethro saw how much Moses had to do for the people, and he asked, "Why are you the only judge? Why do you let these people crowd around you from morning till evening?"

You and the people who come to you will soon be worn out. The job is too much for one person; you can't do it alone.

God will help you if you follow my advice. You should be the one to speak to God for the people,

After Moses went down the mountain, he gave orders for the people to wash their clothes and make themselves acceptable to worship God.

Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations.

But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.

If you ever build an altar for me out of stones, do not use any tools to chisel the stones, because that would make the altar unfit.

The Lord gave Moses the following laws for his people:

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he must remain your slave for six years. But in the seventh year you must set him free, without cost to him.

Then he must stand beside either the door or the doorpost at the place of worship, while his owner punches a small hole through one of his ears with a sharp metal rod. This makes him a slave for life.

If he selects her as a wife for his son, he must treat her as his own daughter.

If the man later marries another woman, he must continue to provide food and clothing for the one he bought and to treat her as a wife.

The Lord said: Death is the punishment for murder.

But if you did not intend to kill someone, and I, the Lord , let it happen anyway, you may run for safety to a place that I have set aside.

Death is the punishment for attacking your father or mother.

Death is the punishment for kidnapping. If you sell the person you kidnapped, or if you are caught with that person, the penalty is death.

Death is the punishment for cursing your father or mother.