Cyrus Helps the Exiles to Return^(A)

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah,^(B) the Lord moved the heart^(C) of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

Freedom for Slaves

⁸ The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(A) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(B) for the slaves. ⁹ Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^{(C) 10} So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they changed their minds^(D) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³ “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors^(E) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(F) I said, ¹⁴ ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’^[a](G) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(H) to me. ¹⁵ Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.^(I) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.^{(J) 16} But now you have turned around^(K) and profaned^(L) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

¹⁷ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,^(M) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague^(N) and famine.^(O) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.^{(P) 18} Those who have violated my covenant^(Q) and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.^{(R) 19} The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,^(S) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, ²⁰ I will deliver^(T) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.^(U) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.^(V)

²¹ “I will deliver Zedekiah^(W) king of Judah and his officials^(X) into the hands of their enemies^(Y) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,^(Z) which has withdrawn^(AA) from you. ²² I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take^(AB) it and burn^(AC) it down. And I will lay waste^(AD) the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.