⁷ when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left over—Lachish and Azekah, for these remained among the cities of Judah, the cities of fortification.

Zedekiah’s Covenant Concerning Slaves

⁸ The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after king Zedekiah made^[a] a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them, ⁹ to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, the Hebrew and the free Hebrew, so that no one among the Judeans^[b] should enslave his fellow countryman.