Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother

(A)“If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears (B)will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that (C)his name may not be blotted out of Israel. But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the (D)gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, (E)‘I do not want to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, (F)remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not (G)build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’

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If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.(A) The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.(B)

However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife,(C) she shall go to the elders at the town gate(D) and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.”(E) Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals,(F) spit in his face(G) and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

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