¹⁰ I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!^{(A) 11} Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest^(B) you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

¹² “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath^(C) to do what they had promised.

Freedom for Slaves

⁸ The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(A) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(B) for the slaves. ⁹ Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^{(C) 10} So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they changed their minds^(D) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

6 All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect,^(A) so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.^(B)