⁷ But if the man doesn’t want to marry his sister-in-law, she is to go to the elders at the city gate^(A) 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.’

² He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate.^(A) Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for settlement, Absalom called out to him and asked, “What city are you from?” If he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”

⁶ He set military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them,^[a](A) saying,