Laws Concerning Levirate Marriage

(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. 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. 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.’

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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)

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