The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had (A)made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to (B)proclaim [a]release to them: that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, a (C)Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, so that (D)no one would keep them, his Jewish brother or sister, in bondage. 10 And all the (E)officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, so that no one would keep them in bondage any longer; they obeyed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male servants and as female servants.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 34:8 Or liberty

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves. He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves—both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage. 10 The officials and all the people had obeyed the king’s command, 11 but later they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had freed, forcing them to be slaves again.

Read full chapter