⁵² Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^53 (A)“To these the land shall be ^(B)divided as an inheritance, according to the number of names. ^54 (C)To a large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance according to those who were numbered of them. ⁵⁵ But the land shall be ^(D)divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. ⁵⁶ According to the lot their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller.”

^57 (E)And these are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begot Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was ^(F)Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. ^60 (G)To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ And ^(H)Nadab and Abihu died when they offered profane fire before the Lord.

^62 (I)Now those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above; ^(J)for they were not numbered among the other children of Israel, because there was ^(K)no inheritance given to them among the children of Israel.

⁶³ These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel ^(L)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ^64 (M)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the ^(N)Wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They ^(O)shall surely die in the wilderness.” So there was not left a man of them, ^(P)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Inheritance Laws

27 Then came the daughters of ^(Q)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 ^(R)died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, ^(S)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 ^(T)removed^[a] from among his family because he had no son? ^(U)Give us a ^[b]possession among our father’s brothers.”

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

⁶ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ⁷ “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; ^(W)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 ^(X)a statute of judgment, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Joshua the Next Leader of Israel^(Y)

¹² Now the Lord said to Moses: ^(Z)“Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. ¹³ And when you have seen it, you also ^(AA)shall ^[c]be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. ¹⁴ For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you ^(AB)rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the ^(AC)waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, ^(AD)the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ^17 (AE)who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be ^(AF)like sheep which have no shepherd.”

¹⁸ And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man ^(AG)in whom is the Spirit, and ^(AH)lay your hand on him; ¹⁹ set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and ^(AI)inaugurate^[d] him in their sight. ²⁰ And ^(AJ)you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel ^(AK)may be obedient. ^21 (AL)He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him ^(AM)by the judgment of the Urim. ^(AN)At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.”

²² So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. ²³ And he laid his hands on him ^(AO)and ^[e]inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.