Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
Therefore, this is what the LORD says: You have not listened to me by setting your fellow Israelites free as I commanded. So now I am declaring a different kind of freedom for you, freedom to be destroyed by war, disease, and hunger. I will scatter you among all the nations of the world.
God is saying that since the people refused to free their Hebrew slaves as promised, He will give them a bitter 'freedom', freedom to face destruction and exile.
📚 Historical Context
In the ancient kingdom of Judah, under King Zedekiah, the leaders had proclaimed freedom for Hebrew slaves as required by God's law in the Mosaic covenant, but they quickly reversed their decision and re-enslaved them. This hypocrisy occurred during a time of impending Babylonian invasion, highlighting the people's disregard for divine commands and their covenant with God. As a result, through the prophet Jeremiah, God declared judgment on them for their unfaithfulness.
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