Numbers 27:12-23

Common English Bible

Announcement of Moses’ death

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain, Abarim, and look at the land that I’ve given to the Israelites. ¹³ You will see it and then join your ancestors just as Aaron your brother has, ¹⁴ because in the Zin desert, when the community confronted you, you rebelled against my command to show them my holiness by means of the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah^[a] of Kadesh in the Zin desert.)

¹⁵ Moses spoke to the Lord: ¹⁶ “Let the Lord, the God of all living things, appoint someone over the community ¹⁷ who will go out before them and return before them, someone who will lead them out and bring them back, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without their shepherd.”

¹⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, Nun’s son, a man who has the spirit, and lay your hand on him. ¹⁹ Place him before Eleazar the priest and the entire community and commission him before them. ²⁰ You will give him some of your power so that the entire Israelite community may obey. ²¹ He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will determine for him the decision by lot before the Lord. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him, the entire community, will go out, and at his command they will return.”

²² Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and placed him before Eleazar the priest and the entire community. ²³ He laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord had spoken through Moses.