Torah FeedParashat Yitro
Exodus 18:1 to 20:23, 75 verses. Next read on Shabbat, January 30, 2027.
Updated September 24, 2026
יִתְרוֹ
- Book
- Exodus
- Reading
- 18:1 to 20:23
- Verses
- 75
- Position
- 17 of 54
Opening verse
וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ כִּי־הוֹצִיא יְהוָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם׃
Now 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.
Read the full text from the start of the portion: Exodus 18 in Hebrew and English.
Summary
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, arrives at the camp with Tzipporah and her sons. Watching Moses judge the people from morning to night, he advises him to appoint honest judges over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Israel camps at the foot of Mount Sinai, and God offers them a covenant: to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The people answer as one. After three days of preparation, amid thunder, lightning and the sound of a shofar, God speaks the Ten Commandments. The people are terrified and ask Moses to speak to them instead.
Key moments
- Jethro's advice on judges (18:13 to 18:27)
- "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (19:1 to 19:8)
- The Ten Commandments (20:1 to 20:14)
When is Yitro read?
Upcoming Shabbat readings in the Diaspora calendar:
- Saturday, January 30, 2027
- Saturday, February 19, 2028
- Saturday, February 3, 2029
In some years this portion is read together with its neighbor as a double portion. The dates above include those weeks.