Jeremiah 34:8–16

⁸The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah ^phad made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem ^qto make a proclamation of liberty to them, ^9rthat everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, ^sso that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves ^rthey had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. ¹²The 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 ^tI brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, ^14u‘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; ^ryou must set him free from your service.’ But ^vyour fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. ¹⁵You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes ^qby proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and ^wyou made a covenant before me in the ^xhouse that is called by my name, ¹⁶but then you turned around ^yand profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, ^zwhom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.