Jeremiah 34:8-22

8The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah ahad made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem bto make a proclamation of liberty to them, 9 cthat everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, dso 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 ethey had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. 12The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 13Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when fI brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, 14 g‘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; hyou must set him free from your service.’ But iyour fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes jby proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and kyou made a covenant before me in the lhouse that is called by my name, 16but then you turned around mand profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, nwhom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

17Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me oby proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; pbehold, I proclaim to you liberty qto the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. rI will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of sthe covenant that they made before me, I will make them like
Hebrew lacks  them like
uthe calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts
19the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, vthe eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20And I will give them into the hand of their enemies wand into the hand of those who seek their lives. xTheir dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 21And yZedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon zwhich has withdrawn from you. 22Behold, aaI will command, declares the Lord, and will abbring them back to this city. acAnd they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. adI will make the cities of Judah a desolation aewithout inhabitant.”

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