their own poor brethren, a crime which was a great besetment of the rich Jews, in all ages of their history.
On hearing from the lips of Jeremiah this awful denunciation, king Zedekiah, who then reigned, immediately brought the men who had been guilty of this enormity together, and required of them, by agreement, that they should then release, every man his Hebrew servant. This was done in the hope that God would pardon the nation of this thing, and withhold the king of Babylon from coming upon them, with his mighty hosts, as Jeremiah had said he would.
The account reads as follows: "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, to proclaim liberty unto them, that every man should let his man servant, and every man his maid, being a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew, his brother." Now, when the princess, and all the people which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his man servant, and every one his maid servant, go free; that none should serve themselves of them [their brethren] any more; then they obeyed and let them go. But afterward they turned and caused the servants and the handmaids whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids [again]. Therefore, the word of the Lord came, saying, thus saith the Lord God of Israel: I made a covenant with your
