Numbers 27
Wycliffe Bible
27 Soothly the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, that was the son of Joseph, nighed (came near); of which daughters these be the names; Mahlah, and Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
2 And they stood before Moses, and Eleazar, the priest, and before all the princes of the people, at the door of the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace; and said, (And they stood before Moses, and Eleazar, the priest, and before all the leaders of the people, at the entrance to the Tabernacle of the Covenant; and they said,)
3 Our father was dead in the desert, neither he was in the rebelty that was raised against the Lord under Korah, but he was dead in his sin; he had no male sons [he had not male children]. (Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the rebellion that was raised against the Lord under Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons.)
4 Why is his name taken away from his family, for he hath no son? Give ye possession to us among our father’s kinsmen. (But why should his name be done away from his family, simply because he hath no son? Give ye to us a possession, that is, some property, among our father’s kinsmen.)
5 And Moses told their cause to the doom of the Lord; (And Moses brought their case to the judgement of the Lord;)
6 the which said to Moses, (and the Lord said to Moses,)
7 The daughters of Zelophehad ask a just thing; give thou possession to them among their father’s kinsmen, and be they successors to him into heritage. (The daughters of Zelophehad ask for a just thing; give thou them some property among their father’s kinsmen, and let them be the successors of his inheritance.)
8 Forsooth thou shalt speak these things to the sons of Israel, When a man is dead without son, the heritage shall go to his daughter; (And thou shalt speak these words to the Israelites, When a man is dead without a son, the inheritance shall go to his daughter;)
9 if he hath no daughter, he shall have (as) his heirs his brethren; (if he hath no daughter, his brothers shall be his heirs;)
10 that and if brethren be not, ye shall give the heritage to the brethren of his father; (and if he hath no brothers, ye shall give the inheritance to his father’s brothers;)
11 soothly if he have no brethren of his father, the heritage shall be given to them that be next to him. And this shall be holy by everlasting law to the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded to Moses. (and if his father hath no brothers, the inheritance shall be given to them who be next to him. And this shall be holy by an everlasting law to the Israelites, as the Lord commanded to Moses.)
12 Also the Lord said to Moses, Go (thou) up into this hill of Abarim, and behold thou from thence the land, which I shall give to the sons of Israel. (And then the Lord said to Moses, Go thou up onto this Mount Abarim, and from there behold thou the land, which I have given to the Israelites.)
13 And when thou hast seen it, also thou shalt go to thy people, as thy brother Aaron went; (And when thou hast seen it, then thou also shalt go to thy people, that is, thou shalt die, like thy brother Aaron did;)
14 for thou offendedest me in the desert of Zin, in the against-saying of the multitude, neither thou wouldest hallow me before the people, upon the waters. These be the waters of against-saying in Kadesh, in the desert of Zin. (for thou offendedest me in the wilderness of Zin, when the people spoke against me, and thou didest not uphold my holiness before the people, there at the waters. These be the waters of Meribah at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin.)
15 To whom Moses answered,
16 The Lord God of the spirits of all flesh, purvey a man, that he be on this multitude, (May the Lord God of the spirits of all people purvey a man who shall be over these people,)
17 and that may go out (and who can go out), and enter in before them, and lead them out, and lead them in, lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without (a) shepherd.
18 And the Lord said to Moses, Take thou Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom the spirit of God is (a man in whom is the spirit of God), and put thine hand upon him;
19 and he shall stand before Eleazar, the priest, and before all the multitude. And thou shalt give to him behests, in the sight of all men (And thou shalt give him his orders, or his commission, in the sight of all the people),
20 and a part of thy glory, that all the synagogue of the sons of Israel hear him. (and some of thy authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites shall listen to him, and shall follow him.)
21 If anything shall be worthy to be done for this man, Joshua, Eleazar, the priest, shall counsel the Lord; he shall go out, and shall go in, at the word of Eleazar; he, and all the sons of Israel with him, and the tother multitude. (And if anything shall be worthy to be done for this man, Joshua, Eleazar, the priest, shall ask counsel from the Urim and the Thummim, before the Lord; he shall go out, and shall go in, at the word of Eleazar; he, and all the multitude of the Israelites.)
22 Moses did as the Lord commanded, and when he had taken Joshua, he set him before Eleazar, the priest; and before all the multitude of the people;
23 and when he had put his hands upon his head, he rehearsed all things that the Lord commanded. (and when he had laid his hands upon his head, he repeated all the things that the Lord had commanded.)
Numbers 27
English Standard Version
The Daughters of Zelophehad
27 Then drew near the daughters of (A)Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3 “Our father (B)died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord (C)in the company of Korah, but (D)died for his own sin. And he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? (E)Give to us a possession among our father's brothers.”
5 Moses (F)brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord said to Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad (G)are right. (H)You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 And 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 nearest (I)kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel (J)a statute and rule, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
Joshua to Succeed Moses
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up into (K)this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also (L)shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 (M)because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing (N)to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are (O)the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, 16 “Let the Lord, (P)the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who (Q)shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be (R)as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take (S)Joshua the son of Nun, a man (T)in whom is the Spirit, and (U)lay your hand on him. 19 Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall (V)commission him in their sight. 20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, (W)that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him (X)by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23 and he laid his hands on him and (Y)commissioned him as the Lord directed through Moses.
Numbers 27
New King James Version
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.
Joshua the Next Leader of Israel(I)
12 Now the Lord said to Moses: (J)“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 (K)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 (L)rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the (M)waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)
15 Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: 16 “Let the Lord, (N)the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 (O)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 (P)like sheep which have no shepherd.”
18 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man (Q)in whom is the Spirit, and (R)lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and (S)inaugurate[d] him in their sight. 20 And (T)you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel (U)may be obedient. 21 (V)He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him (W)by the judgment of the Urim. (X)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 (Y)and [e]inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 27:4 withdrawn
- Numbers 27:4 inheritance
- Numbers 27:13 Die and join your ancestors
- Numbers 27:19 commission
- Numbers 27:23 commissioned
2001 by Terence P. Noble
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

