Chapter 27

Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, came forward: their names are Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

They came before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the chiefs and all the people at the door of the Tent of meeting, and said,

Death overtook our father in the waste land; he was not among those who were banded together with Korah against the Lord; but death came to him in his sin; and he had no sons.

Why is the name of our father to be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give us a heritage among our father's brothers.

So Moses put their cause before the Lord.

And the Lord said to Moses,

What the daughters of Zelophehad say is right: certainly you are to give them a heritage among their father's brothers: and let the property which would have been their father's go to them.

And say to the children of Israel, If a man has no son at the time of his death, let his heritage go to his daughter.

And if he has no daughter, then give his heritage to his brothers.

And if he has no brothers, then give his heritage to his father's brothers.

And if his father has no brothers, then give it to his nearest relation in the family, as his heritage: this is to be a decision made by law for the children of Israel, as the Lord gave orders to Moses.

And the Lord said to Moses, Go up into this mountain of Abarim so that you may see the land which I have given to the children of Israel.

And when you have seen it, you will be put to rest with your people, as your brother Aaron was:

Because in the waste land of Zin, when the people were angry, you and he went against my word and did not keep my name holy before their eyes, at the waters. (These are the waters of Meribah in Kadesh in the waste land of Zin.)

Then Moses said to the Lord,

Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, put a man at the head of this people,

To go out and come in before them and be their guide; so that the people of the Lord may not be like sheep without a keeper.

And the Lord said to Moses, Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and put your hand on him;

And take him before Eleazar the priest and all the meeting of the people, and give him his orders before their eyes.

And put your honour on him, so that all the children of Israel may be under his authority.

He will take his place before Eleazar the priest, so that he may get directions from the Lord for him, with the Urim: at his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, he and all the children of Israel.

So Moses did as the Lord said: he took Joshua and put him before Eleazar the priest and the meeting of the people:

And he put his hands on him and gave him his orders, as the Lord had said by Moses.