13 “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘I amade a covenant with your forefathers in the day that I bbrought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,

14 “aAt the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who 1has been sold to you and has served you six years, you shall send him out free from you; but your forefathers bdid not obey Me or incline their ear to Me.

15 “Although recently you had turned and adone what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming 1release to his neighbor, and you had bmade a covenant before Me cin the house which is called by My name.

16 “Yet you aturned and bprofaned My name, and each man 1took back his male servant and each man his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male servants and female servants.” ’

17 “Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming 1release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am aproclaiming a 1release to you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to the bsword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a cterror to all the kingdoms of the earth.