Deuteronomy 25:5-15

5 When brothers are living together and one of them dies without having had a son, the widow of the dead brother shall not marry a stranger from outside the family; her husband's brother is to come to her and marry her and do the brother-in-law's duty by her.
6 The first son that she bears shall be named after her dead husband so his name won't die out in Israel.
7 But if the brother doesn't want to marry his sister-in-law, she is to go to the leaders at the city gate and say, "My brother-in-law refuses to keep his brother's name alive in Israel; he won't agree to do the brother-in-law's duty by me."
8 Then the leaders will call for the brother and confront him. If he stands there defiant and says, "I don't want her,"
9 his sister-in-law is to pull his sandal off his foot, spit in his face, and say, "This is what happens to the man who refuses to build up the family of his brother
10 - his name in Israel will be Family-No-Sandal."
11 When two men are in a fight and the wife of the one man, trying to rescue her husband, grabs the genitals of the man hitting him,
12 you are to cut off her hand. Show no pity.
13 Don't carry around with you two weights, one heavy and the other light,
14 and don't keep two measures at hand, one large and the other small.
15 Use only one weight, a true and honest weight, and one measure, a true and honest measure, so that you will live a long time on the land that God, your God, is giving you.

Deuteronomy 25:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 25

Several laws are contained in this chapter, as concerning beating such whose crimes required it, De 25:1-3; of not muzzling the ox in treading out the corn, De 25:4; of marrying a deceased brother's wife, when there was no issue, and of the disgrace of such that refused it, De 25:5-10; of the punishment of an immodest woman, De 25:11,12; and against bad weights and measures, De 25:13-16; and for the utter destruction of Amalek, De 25:17-19.

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.