VERSE STUDY • KJV

Deuteronomy 25:5-10

⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. ⁶ And it shall be, [that] the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother [which is] dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. ⁷ And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name 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 unto him: and [if] he stand [to it], and say, I like not to take her; ⁹ Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house. ¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

Read it in 5 translations

KJV King James Version

⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. ⁶ And it shall be, [that] the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother [which is] dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. ⁷ And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name 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 unto him: and [if] he stand [to it], and say, I like not to take her; ⁹ Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house. ¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

BSB Berean Standard Bible

⁵ When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her. ⁶ The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. ⁷ But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.” ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,” ⁹ his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.” ¹⁰ And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”

WEB World English Bible

⁵ If brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside to a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her to him as wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ⁶ It shall be, that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel. ⁷ If the man doesn’t want to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.” ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he stand, and say, “I don’t want to take her;” ⁹ then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.” ¹⁰ His name shall be called in Israel, The house of him who has his shoe untied.

ASV American Standard Version

⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her. ⁶ And it shall be, that the first-born that she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. ⁷ And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto me. ⁸ Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand, and say, I like not to take her; ⁹ then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother’s house. ¹⁰ And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

YLT Young’s Literal Translation

⁵ ‘When brethren dwell together, and one of them hath died, and hath no son, the wife of the dead is not without to a strange man; her husband’s brother doth go in unto her, and hath taken her to him for a wife, and doth perform the duty of her husband’s brother; ⁶ and it hath been, the first-born which she beareth doth rise for the name of his dead brother, and his name is not wiped away out of Israel. ⁷ ‘And if the man doth not delight to take his brother’s wife, then hath his brother’s wife gone up to the gate, unto the elders, and said, My husband’s brother is refusing to raise up to his brother a name in Israel; he hath not been willing to perform the duty of my husband’s brother; ⁸ and the elders of his city have called for him, and spoken unto him, and he hath stood and said, I have no desire to take her; ⁹ ‘Then hath his brother’s wife drawn nigh unto him, before the eyes of the elders, and drawn his shoe from off his foot, and spat in his face, and answered and said, Thus it is done to the man who doth not build up the house of his brother; ¹⁰ and his name hath been called in Israel—The house of him whose shoe is drawn off.

Surrounding context — Deuteronomy 25

2 And it shall be, if the wicked man [be] worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.

3 Forty stripes he may give him, [and] not exceed: lest, [if] he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out [the corn].

5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her.

6 And it shall be, [that] the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother [which is] dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.

7 And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name 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 unto him: and [if] he stand [to it], and say, I like not to take her;

9 Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house.

10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:

12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity [her].

13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.

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