Numbers 27:12–23

Joshua the Next Leader of Israel

¹²Now the Lord said to Moses: ⁱ“Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. ¹³And when you have seen it, you also ^jshall ³be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. ¹⁴For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you ^krebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the ^lwaters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.)

¹⁵Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: ¹⁶“Let the Lord, ^mthe God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, ¹⁷ⁿwho may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be ^olike sheep which have no shepherd.”

¹⁸And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man ^pin whom is the Spirit, and ^qlay your hand on him; ¹⁹set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and ^rinaugurate ⁴him in their sight. ²⁰And ^syou shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel ^tmay be obedient. ^21uHe shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him ^vby the judgment of the Urim. ^wAt his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.”

²²So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. ²³And he laid his hands on him ^xand ⁵inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.