Deuteronomy 25:5–10

Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother

^5h“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. ⁶And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears ⁱwill succeed to the name of his dead brother, that ^jhis name may not be blotted out of Israel. ⁷But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the ^kgate 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.’ ⁸Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, ^l‘I do not want to take her,’ ⁹then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, ^mremove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not ⁿbuild up his brother’s house.’ ¹⁰And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’