Deuteronomy 25:5-7

International Standard Version

Levirate Marriage

⁵ “When two brothers are living together and one of them dies without leaving a son, his widow must not be married outside the family to a foreigner. Instead, the brother-in-law must go to her, take her as his wife, and by doing so perform the duty of a brother-in-law. ⁶ The firstborn whom she will bear will continue the name of the dead brother, so his name will not be erased from Israel. ⁷ But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, then she^[a] must go to the elders at the city gate and declare, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perform the duty of a brother-in-law in order to preserve the name of his brother in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law.’