³ Their father gave them great gifts of silver and gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

²³ He dealt wisely, and ^[a]dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every ^(A)fortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wives for them.

Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities

⁵ So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.

Firstborn Inheritance Rights

¹⁵ “If a man has two wives, one loved ^(A)and the other unloved, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and if the firstborn son is of her who is unloved, ¹⁶ then it shall be, ^(B)on the day he bequeaths his possessions to his sons, that he must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife in preference to the son of the unloved, the true firstborn. ¹⁷ But he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn ^(C)by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he ^(D)is the beginning of his strength; ^(E)the right of the firstborn is his.

⁶ But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he ^(A)sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to ^(B)the country of the east.