Numbers 27

27 ¹ Then the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph, came forward. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Their Plea Before the Assembly

² They stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, before the leaders and the whole assembly, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and said: ³ "Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among those who banded together against our Father in the company of Korah; he died for his own sin, and he had no sons. ⁴ Why should our father's name be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers."

⁵ So Moses brought their case before our Father. ⁶ And our Father said to Moses:

⁷ "The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You must surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father's brothers, and transfer their father's inheritance to them. ⁸ And tell the Israelites: 'If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers. ¹¹ And if his father has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, and he shall take possession of it. This shall be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites, as our Father commanded Moses."

Moses Sees the Land

¹² Then our Father said to Moses, "Go up this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the Israelites.

A Shepherd for the Flock

¹³ When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered, ¹⁴ because in the wilderness of Zin, when the congregation quarreled, you rebelled against my command to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses spoke to our Father, saying: ¹⁶ "May our Father, the Father of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation ¹⁷ who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of our Father will not be like sheep without a shepherd."

Joshua Commissioned

¹⁸ So our Father said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit of our Father, and lay your hand on him. ¹⁹ Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole congregation, and commission him in their sight. ²⁰ Give him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of the Israelites will obey him. ²¹ He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before our Father. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in — he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation."

²² Moses did as our Father commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the whole congregation. ²³ He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as our Father had spoken through Moses.