女子繼承產業的律例

36 基列是約瑟之子瑪拿西的孫子,瑪吉的兒子。他宗族中的各族長來見摩西和做以色列人首領的各族長,說: 「耶和華曾吩咐我主用抽籤的方式把土地分給以色列人,還吩咐我主將我們兄弟西羅非哈的產業分給他的女兒們。 但如果她們嫁給其他支派的人,從我們祖業中分給她們的產業就會歸入她們夫家的支派。這樣的話,我們抽籤分到的土地就會減少。 到了以色列人的禧年,這些女兒的產業就會歸給她們丈夫的支派,我們支派的祖業就會失去她們那份產業。」

摩西照耶和華的話吩咐以色列人說:「約瑟支派的人說的對。 關於西羅非哈的女兒們,耶和華說她們可以自由嫁人,但必須嫁給本支派的人。 以色列人的產業不可從一個支派轉到另一個支派,各支派必須守住本支派的祖業。 繼承了產業的女子必須嫁給本支派的人,以便以色列人都能守住自己的祖業。 以色列人的產業不可從一個支派轉到另一個支派,各支派必須守住本支派的產業。」

10 於是,西羅非哈的女兒們遵行了耶和華對摩西的吩咐。 11 瑪拉、得撒、曷拉、密迦和挪阿都嫁給了她們叔伯的兒子, 12 即約瑟之子瑪拿西支派的人。這樣,她們的產業仍留在本支派中。

13 以上是在耶利哥對面、約旦河邊的摩押平原,耶和華藉摩西頒佈給以色列人的命令和律例。

Chapter 36

The Daughters of Zelophehad. The family heads of the clan of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses, before the leaders, and before the family heads of the people of Israel. They said, “When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the people of Israel, the Lord commanded my lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. If they marry members of another Israelite tribe, then the inheritance of our ancestral tribe will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they have married. It will be taken from the portion of our inheritance. During the Jubilee of the people of Israel their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they were received. Thus, their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestral tribe.”

Moses commanded the people of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, “The tribe of Joseph is correct in what they have said. This is what the Lord has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whomever they wish, only they are to marry within the ancestral tribe of their father. Thus, no inheritance among the people of Israel will be transferred from one tribe to another. The people of Israel will hold on to the inheritance of their ancestral tribe. Every daughter who comes into the possession of an inheritance of any tribe among the people of Israel will marry someone from the family of the tribe of her father. This way, each Israelite will inherit the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance will pass from one tribe to another. Each Israelite tribe is to keep its own inheritance.’ ”

10 Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord had commanded Moses.[a] 11 Zelophehad’s daughters, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, married their cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. Their inheritance remained within their clan and their tribe. 13 These are the commandments and the ordinances that the Lord commanded the people of Israel through Moses while they were in the plain of Moab, near the Jordan, across from Jericho.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 36:10 Zelophehad’s daughters remain obedient to the Lord’s commands and are rewarded with their due inheritance. This concludes the book on a positive note.

Inheritance by Marriage

36 The leaders of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, approached and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the Israelites, and they said, “The Lord commanded my lord [Moses] to give the land by lot to the sons of Israel as an inheritance, and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. But if the daughters marry any of the men from any of the other tribes of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from that of our fathers (tribal ancestors) and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they belong; so it will be taken away from our allotted inheritance. When the [year of] Jubilee of the Israelites comes, then their inheritance will be added [permanently] to that of the tribe to which they belong; so their inheritance will be taken away from that of the tribe of our fathers (tribal ancestors).”

Then Moses commanded the Israelites in accordance with the word of the Lord, saying, “The statement of the tribe of the sons of Joseph is correct. This is what the Lord commands regarding the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they wish; only they must marry within the family of the tribe of their father.’ So no inheritance of the Israelites shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for every one of the Israelites shall hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers (tribal ancestors). Every daughter who possesses an inheritance [of land] in any one of the tribes of the Israelites shall marry [only] a man whose family is of her father’s tribe, so that the Israelites may each possess the inheritance of his fathers (tribal ancestors). So no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another, but each of the tribes of the Israelites shall hold to its own inheritance.”

10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers. 12 They married into the families of the descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.

13 These are the commandments and the ordinances (judgments) which the Lord commanded through Moses to the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan [across from] Jericho.

Inheritance of Zelophehad’s Daughters(A)

36 The family heads of the clan of Gilead(B) son of Makir,(C) the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph,(D) came and spoke before Moses and the leaders,(E) the heads of the Israelite families. They said, “When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot,(F) he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad(G) to his daughters. Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. When the Year of Jubilee(H) for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our ancestors.”

Then at the Lord’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan. No inheritance(I) in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan,(J) so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors. No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.”

10 So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah(K)—married their cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s tribe and clan.(L)

13 These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses(M) to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.(N)