Numbers 27

Modern English Version

Laws of Inheritance^(A)

27 Then came near the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. ² They stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the assembly by the door of the tent of meeting, saying, ³ “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered against the Lord, in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin and had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father diminish from among his family, because he has no son? Give to us a possession among the brothers of our father.”

⁵ Moses brought their case before the Lord. ⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ⁷ The daughters of Zelophehad speak right. You will certainly give them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and you will cause the inheritance of their father to pass on to them.

⁸ You will speak to the children of Israel, saying, “If a man dies, and has no son, then you will cause his inheritance to pass on to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, then you will give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, then you will give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ If his father has no brothers, then you will give his inheritance to his closest kinsman in his family, and he will possess it. And it will be for the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Joshua to Succeed Moses

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. ¹³ When you have seen it, you also will be gathered to your people as Aaron your brother was gathered. ¹⁴ For you rebelled against My commandment in the Wilderness of Zin when the congregation argued against Me. You did not show My holiness at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah in Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly ¹⁷ who will go out before them, and who will go in before them, and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so the assembly of the Lord will not be like sheep who do not have a shepherd.”

¹⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him, ¹⁹ and cause him to stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the assembly, and command in their sight. ²⁰ You will put some of your majesty on him, in order that all the assembly of the children of Israel will listen. ²¹ He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will ask for him about the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word will they go out, and at his word they will come in, both he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the assembly.”

²² Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he took Joshua, and he caused him to stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the assembly. ²³ And he laid his hands on him and commanded him as the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses.