1 T he heads of the fathers’ houses of the families of the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the fathers’ houses of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Israelites.

The heads of the fathers’ houses of the family group of the sons of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near. They spoke in front of Moses and the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel.

2 T hey said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the Israelites; and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.

They said, “The Lord told my lord to give the land to the people of Israel by drawing names. And my lord was told by the Lord to give the land of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

3 B ut if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the Israelites, then their inheritance will be taken from that of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they are received and belong; so it will be taken out of the lot of our inheritance.

But if they marry one of the sons of the other family groups of Israel, then their land would be taken away from what was given to our fathers and would be added to the land of the family group they marry into. So it would be taken from the land that had been given to us.

4 A nd when the Jubilee of the Israelites comes, then their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe to which they are received and belong; so will their inheritance be taken away from that of the tribe of our fathers.

When the Year of Jubilee of the people of Israel comes, their land will be added to the land of the family group into which they marry. So their land will be taken from the land of the family group of our fathers.”

5 A nd Moses commanded the Israelites according to the word of the Lord, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph is right.

Then Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord said. He said, “The family group of the sons of Joseph are right in what they say.

6 T his is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry whom they think best; only they shall marry within the family of the tribe of their father.

This is what the Lord has said about the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best. Only they must marry within the family group of their father.’

7 S o shall no inheritance of the Israelites be transferred from tribe to tribe, for every one of the Israelites shall cling to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.

This way no land of the people of Israel will go from one family group to another. The people of Israel will each hold to the land of the family group of his fathers.

8 A nd every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the Israelites shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, so that the Israelites may each one possess the inheritance of his fathers.

Every daughter who comes to own the land of any family group of Israel, must be the wife of one of her father’s family group. So every one of the people of Israel may own the land of his fathers.

9 S o shall no inheritance be transferred from one tribe to another, but each of the tribes of the Israelites shall cling to its own inheritance.

No land will go from one family group to another. For the families of Israel will each hold to his own land.”

10 T he daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The daughters of Zelophehad did just as the Lord had told Moses.

11 F or Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to sons of their father’s brothers.

Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, married sons of their father’s brothers.

12 T hey married into the families of the sons of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.

They married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph. And their land stayed with their father’s family group.

13 T hese are the commandments and ordinances which the Lord commanded the Israelites through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

These are the Laws which the Lord told the people of Israel through Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.