15 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and (A)the other [a]unloved, and both the loved and the [b]unloved have borne him sons, and the firstborn son belongs to the [c]unloved, 16 then it shall be on the day that he wills what he owns as an inheritance to his sons, he is not allowed to treat the son of the loved wife as the firstborn, [d]at the expense of the son of the [e]unloved, who actually is the firstborn son. 17 On the contrary, he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the [f]unloved wife, by giving him a double [g]portion of everything that [h]he owns, for he was the (B)beginning of his [i]strength; (C)to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 21:15 Or scorned; lit hated
  2. Deuteronomy 21:15 Or scorned; lit hated
  3. Deuteronomy 21:15 Or scorned; lit hated
  4. Deuteronomy 21:16 Lit against the face of
  5. Deuteronomy 21:16 See note v 15
  6. Deuteronomy 21:17 See note v 15
  7. Deuteronomy 21:17 Lit mouthful
  8. Deuteronomy 21:17 Lit is found with him
  9. Deuteronomy 21:17 I.e., power of procreation

15 If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated; 16 then it shall be, in the day that he causeth his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born [a]before the son of the hated, who is the first-born: 17 but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first-born is his.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 21:16 Or, during the lifetime of

The Right of the Firstborn

15 If a man has two wives,(A) and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love,(B) 16 when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love.(C) 17 He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double(D) share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength.(E) The right of the firstborn belongs to him.(F)

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