Numbers 27
Lexham English Bible
Laws of Inheritance
27 Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, of the clan of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, and Tirzah. 2 They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders of the entire community at the doorway of the tent of assembly,[a] saying, 3 “Our father died in the desert; he was not in the midst of the company of those who banded together against Yahweh in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father disappear from the midst of his clan because he does not have a son? Give us property in the midst of the brothers of our father.” 5 So Moses brought their case before Yahweh. 6 And Yahweh said to Moses, saying, 7 “The statements of the daughters of Zelophehad are right.[b] You must surely give them the property of an inheritance in the midst of their father’s brothers, and you must transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you must speak to the Israelites,[c] saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, you must transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 And if he has no daughter, you must give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father has no brothers, then you must give his inheritance to his nearest relative from his own clan, and he will take possession of it. It will be as a decree of stipulation for the Israelites,[d] just as Yahweh commanded Moses.’”
12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land that I have given to the Israelites.[e] 13 When you see it, you will be gathered to your people, just as Aaron your brother was gathered, 14 because you rebelled against my word in the desert of Zin when the community quarreled regarding my holiness at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah-Kadesh in the desert of Zin.)
Joshua Succeeds Moses
15 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 16 “Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community 17 who will go out before them and will come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so the community of Yahweh will not be like a flock that does not have a shepherd.” 18 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and place your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community, and commission him[f] in their sight.[g] 20 You will give to him from your authority so that the entire community of Israel will obey him.[h] 21 He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will ask for him by the decision[i] of the Urim before Yahweh. On his command[j] they will go out, and at his command[k] they will come in, both he and all of the Israelites[l] with him, the entire community.” 22 Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community. 23 And he placed his hands on him and commissioned him[m] just as Yahweh spoke by the hand of Moses.[n]
Footnotes
- Numbers 27:2 Or “meeting”
- Numbers 27:7 Literally “Such as the daughters of Zelophehad are speaking”
- Numbers 27:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 27:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 27:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 27:19 Literally “command him”
- Numbers 27:19 Literally “before their eyes”
- Numbers 27:20 Literally “hear him”
- Numbers 27:21 Or “judgment”
- Numbers 27:21 Literally “his word”
- Numbers 27:21 Literally “his word”
- Numbers 27:21 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 27:23 Literally “commanded him”
- Numbers 27:23 Or “through Moses”
Numbers 27
International Standard Version
Zelophehad’s Daughters(A)
27 Now the daughters of Hepher’s son Zelophehad, Gilead’s grandson, who had been fathered by Machir, who had been fathered by Manasseh, from the tribe of Manasseh, the direct son of Joseph, were named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached 2 Moses, Eleazar the priest, the elders, and the entire community at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before them, and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he wasn’t with the company of those who gathered against the Lord along with the company of Korah. He died in his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why are you going to eliminate the name of our father from his family, just because he had no son? Give us a possession from among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought the family into the Lord’s presence, 6 and the Lord told Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are telling the truth. You are certainly to give to them a possession for an inheritance among their father’s relatives. You are to pass on the inheritance of their father to them. 8 Tell the Israelis that when a man dies without a son, you are to pass his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he doesn’t have a daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he doesn’t have brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father doesn’t have brothers, then give his inheritance to a relative who is nearest to him from the family and he’ll take possession of it. This is to be a permanent ordinance[a] for the Israelis, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Preparations for a Successor to Moses
12 Then the Lord told Moses, “You are to climb these Abarim mountains and look over the land that I’m going to give the Israelis. 13 After you’ve seen it, you’ll be taken to be with your people just as your brother Aaron was gathered to them,[b] 14 because in the wilderness of Zin, when the community rebelled, you rebelled against my command to treat me as holy before their eyes in regards to the Meribah Springs in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
15 Moses responded to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord God of the spirits of all living creatures appoint a man over the community 17 who will go in and out before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in so that the Lord’s community won’t be like a flock without a shepherd.”
God Appoints Joshua
18 “Select Nun’s son Joshua. The Spirit is in that man,” the Lord answered Moses. “You are to lay your hand on him 19 and make him stand in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community. Then you are to set him in charge right before their eyes, 20 turning over your authority[c] to him so that the entire community of Israel knows to[d] obey him. 21 You are to make him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest, who is to inquire on his behalf using the Urim[e] in the presence of the Lord regarding a decision of judgment, because by his command[f] he and all the Israelis with him will go out or come in.”
22 So Moses did what the Lord had commanded him. He took Joshua, made him stand in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, 23 laid his hands on him, and charged him, just as the Lord had commanded, using Moses’ authority.[g]
Footnotes
- Numbers 27:11 Lit. a statute, an ordinance
- Numbers 27:13 The Heb. lacks to them
- Numbers 27:20 Or power
- Numbers 27:20 The Heb. lacks knows to
- Numbers 27:21 I.e. a part of the priest’s breast piece by which God provided revelation; cf. 1Sam 28:6
- Numbers 27:21 Lit. mouth
- Numbers 27:23 Lit. hand
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