But if the man doesn’t want to marry his sister-in-law, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My brother-in-law refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He isn’t willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”
Deuteronomy 25:8 - Christian Standard Bible Anglicised The elders of his city will summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I don’t want to marry her,” Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 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; Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. And if he stands firm and says, I do not want to take her, American Standard Version (1901) 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; Common English Bible The city’s elders will summon him and talk to him about this. If he doesn’t budge, insisting, “I don’t want to marry her,” Catholic Public Domain Version And immediately, they shall summon him to be sent, and they shall question him. If he responds, 'I am not willing to accept her as a wife,' Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version And they shall cause him to be sent for forthwith, and shall ask him. If he answer: I will not take her to wife: |
But if the man doesn’t want to marry his sister-in-law, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My brother-in-law refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He isn’t willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”
then his sister-in-law will go up to him in the sight of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she will declare, “This is what is done to a man who will not build up his brother’s house.”
I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn’t anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ‘I want to redeem it,’ he answered.
The redeemer replied, ‘I can’t redeem it myself, or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can’t redeem it.’
At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.