A Law of Inheritance

1 Then athe daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these are bthe names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah.

2 They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying,

3 “Our father adied in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and bhe had no sons.

4 “Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

5 aSo Moses brought their case before the Lord.

6 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

7 “aThe daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

8 “Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance 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 ‘If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a astatutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”