then it shall be in the dayhe willswhathe hasto his sons,he cannotmakethe sonof the lovedthe firstbornbeforethe sonof the unloved,who is the firstborn.
But Jacobsaid,"Firstsellme your birthright."
Also Hosah,[one] of the sonsof Merarihad sons:Shimrithe first(althoughhe was not the firstborn,his fathermadehim first),
ThoughJudahprevailedover his brothers,and from him [came] the leader,yet the birthrightbelonged to Joseph),
Their fathergavethem manygiftsof silver,goldand preciousthings,with fortifiedcitiesin Judah,but he gavethe kingdomto Jehorambecausehe was the firstborn.
For those whomHe foreknew,He alsopredestined[to become] conformedto the imageof His Son,sothat He would be the firstbornamongmanybrethren;
"Ifa manhastwowives,the onelovedand the otherunloved,and [both] the lovedand the unlovedhave bornehim sons,if the firstbornsonbelongs to the unloved,
"But he shall acknowledgethe firstborn,the sonof the unloved,by givinghim a doubleportionof allthat he has,for he is the beginningof his strength;to him belongs the rightof the firstborn.
Finally,brethren,whateveris true,whateveris honorable,whateveris right,whateveris pure,whateveris lovely,whateveris of good repute,ifthere is anyexcellenceand ifanythingworthy of praise,dwellon these things.
