13 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

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13 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors(A) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(B) I said, 14 ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’[a](C) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention(D) to me. 15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.(E) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.(F) 16 But now you have turned around(G) and profaned(H) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,(I) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague(J) and famine.(K) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 34:14 Deut. 15:12