¹ There then came forward the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh; he belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. His daughters' names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.

² They appeared before Moses, the priest Eleazar, the leaders and the whole community, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and said,

³ 'Our father died in the desert. He was not a member of the party who banded together against Yahweh, Korah's party; it was for his own sin that he died without sons.

⁴ Why should our father's name be lost to his clan? Since he had no son, give us some property like our father's kinsmen.'

⁵ Moses took their case before Yahweh,

⁶ and Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

⁷ 'Zelophehad's daughters are right in what they say. You will indeed give them a property to be their heritage among their father's kinsmen; see that their father's heritage is passed on to them.

⁸ Then speak to the Israelites and say, "If a man dies without sons, his heritage will pass to his daughter.

⁹ If he has no daughter, the heritage will go to his brothers.

¹⁰ If he has no brothers, his heritage will go to his father's brothers.

¹¹ If his father has no brothers, his heritage will go to the member of his clan who is most nearly related; it will become his property. This will be a legal rule for the Israelites, as Yahweh has ordered Moses." '

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, 'Climb this mountain of the Abarim range, and look at the country which I have given to the Israelites.

¹³ After you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was.

¹⁴ For you both rebelled in the desert of Zin when the community disputed with me and when I ordered you to assert my holiness before their eyes by means of the water.' (These were the Waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the desert of Zin.)

¹⁵ Moses then said to Yahweh,

¹⁶ 'May it please Yahweh, God of the spirits that give life to all living creatures, to appoint a leader for this community,

¹⁷ to be at their head in all their undertakings, a man who will lead them out and bring them in, so that Yahweh's community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.'

¹⁸ Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom the spirit dwells, and lay your hand on him.

¹⁹ Bring him before the priest Eleazar and the whole community and give him your orders in their presence,

²⁰ conferring some of your own authority on him, so that the whole community of Israelites will obey him.

²¹ He will present himself to the priest Eleazar who will consult Yahweh on his behalf by means of the rite of the urim; at his command, they will go out and, at his command, they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community.'

²² Moses did as Yahweh had ordered. He took Joshua, brought him before the priest Eleazar and the whole community,

²³ laid his hands on him and gave him his orders, as Yahweh had directed through Moses.