²⁸ saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

Marriage Duty of the Surviving Brother

^5 (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. ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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.’ ⁸ 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,’ ⁹ 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.’

⁸ And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to ^(A)your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.”

¹¹ But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, ^(A)that they may be your husbands? ¹² Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons,

²⁶ So Judah ^(A)acknowledged them and said, ^(B)“She has been more righteous than I, because ^(C)I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he ^(D)never knew her again.

¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ^(A)“Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt ^(B)in her father’s house.