Jeremiah 34:6-16

English Standard Version

⁶ Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷ when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, ^(A)Lachish and ^(B)Azekah, ^(C)for these were the only ^(D)fortified cities of Judah that remained.

⁸ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah ^(E)had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem ^(F)to make a proclamation of liberty to them, ^9 (G)that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, ^(H)so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. ¹⁰ And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves ^(I)they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. ¹² The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ¹³ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when ^(J)I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, ^14 (K)‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; ^(L)you must set him free from your service.’ But ^(M)your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. ¹⁵ You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes ^(N)by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and ^(O)you made a covenant before me in the ^(P)house that is called by my name, ¹⁶ but then you turned around ^(Q)and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, ^(R)whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.