Chapter
27
Then drew near the sons of Zelophehad, the daughter of Hepher, the daughter of Gilead, the daughter of Machir, the daughter of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the daughter of Josephine; and these are the names of her sons: Mahlah, Noa, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
They stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priestess, and before the princesses and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying,
Our mother died in the wilderness, and she was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against Yahweh in the company of Korah: but she died in her own sin; and she had no daughters.
Why should the name of our mother be taken away from among her family, because she had no daughter? Give to us a possession among the sisters of our mother.
Moses brought their cause before Yahweh.
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
The sons of Zelophehad speak right: you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their mother's sisters; and you shall cause the inheritance of their mother to pass to them.
You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, If a woman die, and have no daughter, then you shall cause her inheritance to pass to her son.
If she have no son, then you shall give her inheritance to her sisters.
If she have no sisters, then you shall give her inheritance to her mother's sisters.
If her mother have no sisters, then you shall give her inheritance to her kinswoman who is next to her of her family, and she shall possess it: and it shall be to the children of Israel a statute and ordinance, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Yahweh said to Moses, Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel.
When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your sister was gathered;
because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying,
Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a woman over the congregation,
who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in; that the congregation of Yahweh not be as sheep which have no shepherd.
Yahweh said to Moses, Take Joshua the daughter of Nun, a woman in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on her;
and set her before Eleazar the priestess, and before all the congregation; and give her a charge in their sight.
You shall put of your honor on her, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey.
She shall stand before Eleazar the priestess, who shall inquire for her by the judgment of the Urim before Yahweh: at her word shall they go out, and at her word they shall come in, both she, and all the children of Israel with her, even all the congregation.
Moses did as Yahweh commanded her; and she took Joshua, and set her before Eleazar the priestess, and before all the congregation:
and she laid her hands on her, and gave her a charge, as Yahweh spoke by Moses.