1 Os chefes das famílias do clã de Gileade, descendentes de Maquir, filho de Manassés, filho de José, apresentaram uma petição a Moisés e aos líderes de Israel, os chefes das famílias. 2 Disseram eles: "O Senhor o instruiu a repartir a terra por sorteio entre os israelitas. O Senhor também o instruiu a entregar a herança que pertencia a nosso irmão Zelofeade às filhas dele. 3 Mas, se elas se casarem com homens de outra tribo de Israel, levarão consigo suas propriedades para a tribo dos homens com quem se casarem. Com isso, a área total do território de nossa tribo será reduzida. 4 Quando chegar o Ano do Jubileu, a porção de terra que elas receberam será anexada à porção dessa nova tribo, e essa propriedade será tirada da tribo de nossos antepassados para sempre".

5 Então Moisés deu aos israelitas a seguinte ordem do Senhor: "A preocupação dos homens da tribo de José é justa. 6 É isto que o Senhor ordenou acerca das filhas de Zelofeade: Elas poderão se casar com quem quiserem, desde que seja alguém da tribo de seus antepassados. 7 Nenhuma terra poderá ser transferida de uma tribo para outra, pois a porção entregue a cada tribo deve permanecer com a tribo para a qual foi inicialmente designada. 8 As filhas de todas as tribos de Israel que têm direito a herdar propriedades deverão se casar com homens de um dos clãs de sua própria tribo, para que todos os israelitas mantenham a propriedade de seus antepassados. 9 Nenhuma porção de terra poderá ser transferida de uma tribo para outra; cada tribo de Israel manterá a porção de terra que recebeu como herança".

10 As filhas de Zelofeade fizeram conforme o Senhor ordenou a Moisés. 11 Maala, Tirza, Hogla, Milca e Noa se casaram com primos da família de seu pai, 12 membros dos clãs de Manassés, filho de José. Assim, sua herança permaneceu no clã e na tribo de seus antepassados.

13 Esses são os mandamentos e os estatutos que o Senhor deu aos israelitas por meio de Moisés enquanto estavam acampados nas campinas de Moabe junto ao rio Jordão, do lado oposto de Jericó.

1 The heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the princes, the heads of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel. 2 They said, "Yahweh commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the children of Israel. My lord was commanded by Yahweh to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters. 3 If they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So it will be taken away from the lot of our inheritance. 4 When the jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers."

5 Moses commanded the children of Israel according to Yahweh’s word, saying, "The tribe of the sons of Joseph speak what is right. 6 This is the thing which Yahweh commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them be married to whom they think best, only they shall marry into the family of the tribe of their father. 7 So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel move from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall all keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may each possess the inheritance of his fathers. 9 So shall no inheritance move from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall each keep his own inheritance.’"

10 The daughters of Zelophehad did as Yahweh commanded Moses: 11 for Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father’s brothers’ sons. 12 They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph. Their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.

13 These are the commandments and the ordinances which Yahweh commanded by Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.