Numbers 26–27

The Second Census

26After the plague^q the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, ²“Take a census^r of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army^s of Israel.” ³So on the plains of Moab^t by the Jordan across from Jericho,^u Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, ⁴“Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses.”

These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:^v

⁵The descendants of Reuben,^w the firstborn son of Israel, were:

through Hanok,^x the Hanokite clan;

through Pallu,^y the Palluite clan;

⁶through Hezron,^z the Hezronite clan;

through Karmi,^a the Karmite clan.

⁷These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.

⁸The son of Pallu was Eliab, ⁹and the sons of Eliab^b were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community^c officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the Lord.^{d 10}The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them^e along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men.^f And they served as a warning sign.^{g 11}The line of Korah,^h however, did not die out.ⁱ

¹²The descendants of Simeon by their clans were:

through Nemuel,^j the Nemuelite clan;

through Jamin,^k the Jaminite clan;

through Jakin, the Jakinite clan;

¹³through Zerah,^l the Zerahite clan;

through Shaul, the Shaulite clan.

¹⁴These were the clans of Simeon;^m those numbered were 22,200.ⁿ

¹⁵The descendants of Gad by their clans were:

through Zephon,^o the Zephonite clan;

through Haggi, the Haggite clan;

through Shuni, the Shunite clan;

¹⁶through Ozni, the Oznite clan;

through Eri, the Erite clan;

¹⁷through Arodi,^a the Arodite clan;

through Areli, the Arelite clan.

¹⁸These were the clans of Gad;^p those numbered were 40,500.

¹⁹Er^q and Onan^r were sons of Judah, but they died^s in Canaan.

²⁰The descendants of Judah by their clans were:

through Shelah,^t the Shelanite clan;

through Perez,^u the Perezite clan;

through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.^v

²¹The descendants of Perez^w were:

through Hezron,^x the Hezronite clan;

through Hamul, the Hamulite clan.

²²These were the clans of Judah;^y those numbered were 76,500.

²³The descendants of Issachar by their clans were:

through Tola,^z the Tolaite clan;

through Puah, the Puite^b clan;

²⁴through Jashub,^a the Jashubite clan;

through Shimron, the Shimronite clan.

²⁵These were the clans of Issachar;^b those numbered were 64,300.

²⁶The descendants of Zebulun^c by their clans were:

through Sered, the Seredite clan;

through Elon, the Elonite clan;

through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan.

²⁷These were the clans of Zebulun;^d those numbered were 60,500.

²⁸The descendants of Joseph^e by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim^f were:

²⁹The descendants of Manasseh:^g

through Makir,^h the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gileadⁱ);

through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.

³⁰These were the descendants of Gilead:^j

through Iezer,^k the Iezerite clan;

through Helek, the Helekite clan;

³¹through Asriel, the Asrielite clan;

through Shechem, the Shechemite clan;

³²through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan;

through Hepher, the Hepherite clan.

³³(Zelophehad^l son of Hepher had no sons;^m he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.)ⁿ

³⁴These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.^o

³⁵These were the descendants of Ephraim^p by their clans:

through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan;

through Beker, the Bekerite clan;

through Tahan, the Tahanite clan.

³⁶These were the descendants of Shuthelah:

through Eran, the Eranite clan.

³⁷These were the clans of Ephraim;^q those numbered were 32,500.

These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

³⁸The descendants of Benjamin^r by their clans were:

through Bela, the Belaite clan;

through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan;

through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan;

³⁹through Shupham,^c the Shuphamite clan;

through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.

⁴⁰The descendants of Bela through Ard^s and Naaman were:

through Ard,^d the Ardite clan;

through Naaman, the Naamite clan.

⁴¹These were the clans of Benjamin;^t those numbered were 45,600.

⁴²These were the descendants of Dan^u by their clans:^v

through Shuham,^w the Shuhamite clan.

These were the clans of Dan: ⁴³All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.

⁴⁴The descendants of Asher^x by their clans were:

through Imnah, the Imnite clan;

through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan;

through Beriah, the Beriite clan;

⁴⁵and through the descendants of Beriah:

through Heber, the Heberite clan;

through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.

⁴⁶(Asher had a daughter named Serah.)

⁴⁷These were the clans of Asher;^y those numbered were 53,400.

⁴⁸The descendants of Naphtali^z by their clans were:

through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan;

through Guni, the Gunite clan;

⁴⁹through Jezer, the Jezerite clan;

through Shillem, the Shillemite clan.

⁵⁰These were the clans of Naphtali;^a those numbered were 45,400.^b

⁵¹The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.^c

⁵²The Lord said to Moses, ⁵³“The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names.^{d 54}To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number^e of those listed.^{f 55}Be sure that the land is distributed by lot.^g What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. ⁵⁶Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”

⁵⁷These were the Levites^h who were counted by their clans:

through Gershon, the Gershonite clan;

through Kohath, the Kohathite clan;

through Merari, the Merarite clan.

⁵⁸These also were Levite clans:

the Libnite clan,

the Hebronite clan,

the Mahlite clan,

the Mushite clan,

the Korahite clan.

(Kohath was the forefather of Amram;^{i 59}the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed,^j a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites^e in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses^k and their sister^l Miriam.^{m 60}Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{n 61}But Nadab and Abihu^o died when they made an offering before the Lord with unauthorized fire.)^p

⁶²All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000.^q They were not counted^r along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance^s among them.^t

⁶³These are the ones counted^u by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab^v by the Jordan across from Jericho.^{w 64}Not one of them was among those counted^x by Moses and Aaron^y the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. ⁶⁵For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness,^z and not one of them was left except Caleb^a son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.^b

Zelophehad’s Daughters

27:1–11pp—Nu 36:1–12

27The daughters of Zelophehad^c son of Hepher,^d the son of Gilead,^e the son of Makir,^f the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward ²and stood before Moses,^g Eleazar the priest, the leaders^h and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meetingⁱ and said, ³“Our father died in the wilderness.^j He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord,^k but he died for his own sin and left no sons.^{l 4}Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

⁵So Moses brought their case^m before the Lord,^{n 6}and the Lord said to him, ⁷“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance^o among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.^p

⁸“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law^q for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”

Joshua to Succeed Moses

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain^r in the Abarim Range^s and see the land^t I have given the Israelites.^{u 13}After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people,^v as your brother Aaron^w was, ¹⁴for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin,^x both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy^y before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah^z Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

¹⁵Moses said to the Lord, ¹⁶“May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things,^a appoint someone over this community ¹⁷to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”^b

¹⁸So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,^ac and lay your hand on him.^{d 19}Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him^e in their presence.^{f 20}Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.^{g 21}He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring^h of the Urimⁱ before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”

²²Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. ²³Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him,^j as the Lord instructed through Moses.