Jeremiah 34:8–16

Deceitful Treatment of Slaves

⁸King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had made an agreement to set free ⁹their Hebrew slaves, both male and female, so that no one would have a fellow-Israelite as a slave. ¹⁰All the people and their leaders agreed to free their slaves and never to enslave them again. They did set them free, ¹¹but later they changed their minds, took them back, and forced them to become slaves again.

¹²Then the Lord, ¹³the God of Israel, told me to say to the people: “I made a covenant with your ancestors when I rescued them from Egypt and set them free from slavery. I told them that ^14*every seven years they were to set free any Hebrew slave who had served them for six years. But your ancestors would not pay any attention to me or listen to what I said. ¹⁵Just a few days ago you changed your minds and did what pleased me. All of you agreed to set your fellow-Israelites free, and you made a covenant in my presence, in the Temple where I am worshipped. ¹⁶But then you changed your minds again and dishonoured me. All of you took back the slaves whom you had set free as they desired, and you forced them into slavery again.