Numbers 27

¹ Then there came forward the daughters of Zelophehad. He was the son of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh; he belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.

² They appeared before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and the whole community, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and said,

³ ‘Our father died in the desert. He was not one of the company of those who conspired against Yahweh, Korah’s party; it was for his own sin that he died without sons.

⁴ Why must our father’s name be lost to his clan? Since he had no son, give us some property among our father’s kinsmen.’

⁵ Moses took their case before Yahweh,

⁶ and Yahweh spoke to Moses. He said,

⁷ ‘The daughters of Zelophehad have a just case. Give them a property for their inheritance among their father’s kinsmen; pass on to them their father’s inheritance.

⁸ Then say this to the sons of Israel, “If a man dies without sons, his inheritance is to pass to his daughter.

⁹ If he has no daughter, the inheritance is to go to his brothers.

¹⁰ If he has no brothers, it is to go to his father’s brothers.

¹¹ If his father has no brothers, it is to go to the member of his clan who is most nearly related: he is to take possession. This shall be a statutory ordinance for the sons of Israel, as Yahweh has ordered Moses.”‘

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Climb this mountain of the Abarim range, and look on the land I have given to the sons of Israel.

¹³ After you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was.

¹⁴ For you both rebelled in the wilderness of Zin when the community complained against me, when I ordered you to proclaim my holiness before their eyes by means of the water.’ (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses said to Yahweh,

¹⁶ ‘May Yahweh, God of the spirits that give life to all living creatures, appoint a leader for this community,

¹⁷ to be at their head in all they do, a man who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the community of Yahweh may not be like sheep without a shepherd’.

¹⁸ Yahweh answered Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom the spirit dwells. Lay your hands on him.

¹⁹ Then bring him before Eleazar the priest and the whole community, to give him your orders in their presence

²⁰ and to give him a share of your authority, so that the whole community of the sons of Israel may obey him.

²¹ He shall present himself to Eleazar the priest, who is to make inquiry for him before Yahweh, according to the rite of the Urim. At his command all the sons of Israel shall go out and come in with him, the whole community.’

²² Moses did as Yahweh had ordered. He took Joshua and brought him before Eleazar the priest and the whole community,

²³ laid his hands on him and gave him his orders, as Yahweh had directed through Moses.