Deuteronomy 25:5-10
Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage
5 a “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her b husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that c his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall d go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, e ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and f pull his sandal off his foot and g spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not h build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And the name of his house ▼
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Hebrew its name
shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
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