Jeremiah 34:8–16

^8*This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, ^oto proclaim liberty unto them; ^9pThat every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, ^qgo free; ^rthat none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. ¹⁰Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, ^qgo free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. ^11*But ^safterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let ^qgo free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

¹²Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah ^tfrom the Lord, saying, ¹³Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that ^uI brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, ¹⁴At ^vthe end of ^wxseven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which ^||xhath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers ^yhearkened not unto me, ^yneither inclined their ear. ¹⁵And ye were ^†now turned, and had done right in my sight, in ^oproclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ^zye had made a covenant before me in the house ^†which is called by my name: ¹⁶But ye turned and ^apolluted my name, ^band caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty ^cat their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.