Numbers 27 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward. He was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

They stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, before the leaders, and before the entire community at the entrance to the meeting tent, and they said,

"Our father died in the wilderness. He wasn't part of the group that banded together against Yahweh — Korah's group. He died for his own failures, and he had no sons.

Why should our father's name disappear from his clan just because he didn't have a son? Give us property among our father's relatives."

Moses brought their case before Yahweh.

Yahweh said to Moses,

"Zelophehad's daughters are right. You absolutely must give them inherited property among their father's relatives. Transfer their father's inheritance to them.

And tell the Israelites: 'If a man dies and has no son, transfer his inheritance to his daughter.

If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers.

If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers.

If his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, and that person will take possession of it. This will be a legal rule for the Israelites, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.'"

Yahweh said to Moses, "Go up into this mountain range in the Abarim region and look out over the land I'm giving to the Israelites.

After you've seen it, you too will be gathered to your ancestors, just like your brother Aaron was.

Because in the Wilderness of Zin, when the community argued with me, you both defied my direct command to demonstrate my set-apart nature to them through the water." (This was the water at Meribah in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin.)

Moses said to Yahweh,

"Let Yahweh — the God who gives breath to every living thing — appoint someone over this community

who will lead them out and bring them back, who will take them out and bring them home — so that Yahweh's community won't be like sheep without a shepherd."

Yahweh said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Breath in him, and lay your hand on him.

Stand him in front of Eleazar the priest and the entire community, and commission him while everyone watches.

Give him some of your authority so that the entire Israelite community will follow his lead.

He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will consult Yahweh's decision for him using the Urim. At his command, the whole community — Joshua and all the Israelites with him — will go out, and at his command they will come back.

Moses did exactly what Yahweh commanded him. He took Joshua and stood him before Eleazar the priest and the entire community.

He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as Yahweh had spoken through Moses.