Jeremiah 34:8–16

⁸The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had ^amade a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to ^bproclaim ¹release to them:

⁹that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, a ^aHebrew man or a Hebrew woman; so that ^bno one should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage.

¹⁰And all the ^aofficials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, so that no one should keep them any longer in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free.

¹¹But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection for male servants and for female servants.

¹²Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

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.” ’