¹⁶ then it shall be, ^(A)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.

¹⁰ Also ^(A)Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first),

² yet ^(A)Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ^(B)ruler, although ^[a]the birthright was Joseph’s—

¹⁶ lest there be any ^(A)fornicator or ^[a]profane person like Esau, ^(B)who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was ^(C)rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Meditate on These Things

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are ^(A)true, whatever things are ^(B)noble, whatever things are ^(C)just, ^(D)whatever things are pure, whatever things are ^(E)lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

²⁹ For whom ^(A)He foreknew, ^(B)He also predestined ^(C)to be conformed to the image of His Son, ^(D)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

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.

¹⁹ And she bore him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her he took ^(A)Maachah the ^[a]granddaughter of ^(B)Absalom; and she bore him ^(C)Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his ^(D)wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ²² And Rehoboam ^(E)appointed ^(F)Abijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.