¹⁵ Machir took as his wife the sister of ^[a]Huppim and ^[b]Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead’s ^[c]grandson was ^(A)Zelophehad, but Zelophehad begot only daughters.

Marriage of Female Heirs

36 Now the chief fathers of the families of the ^(A)children of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and ^(B)spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the chief fathers of the children of Israel. ² And they said: ^(C)“The Lord commanded my lord Moses to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel, and ^(D)my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. ³ Now if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be ^(E)taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and it will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance. ⁴ And when ^(F)the Jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry; so their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

⁵ Then Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying: ^(G)“What the tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks is right. ⁶ This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them ^[a]marry whom they think best, ^(H)but they may marry only within the family of their father’s tribe.’ ⁷ So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall ^(I)keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. ⁸ And ^(J)every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be the wife of one of the family of her father’s tribe, so that the children of Israel each may possess the inheritance of his fathers. ⁹ Thus no inheritance shall change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Israel shall keep its own inheritance.”

¹⁰ Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad; ^11 (K)for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to the sons of their father’s brothers. ¹² They were married into the families of the children of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s family.

³³ Now ^(A)Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Inheritance Laws

27 Then came the daughters of ^(A)Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: ³ “Our father ^(B)died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, ^(C)in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. ⁴ Why should the name of our father be ^(D)removed^[a] from among his family because he had no son? ^(E)Give us a ^[b]possession among our father’s brothers.”

⁵ So Moses ^(F)brought their case before the Lord.

⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ⁷ “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; ^(G)you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. ⁸ And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his family, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Israel ^(H)a statute of judgment, just as the Lord commanded Moses.