וְהָיָ֛ה כִּֽי־יֹאמְר֥וּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ אָ֣נָה נֵצֵ֑א וְאָמַרְתָּ֨ אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר לַמָּ֤וֶת לַמָּ֙וֶת֙ וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר לַחֶ֙רֶב֙ לַחֶ֔רֶב וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר לָֽרָעָב֙ לָֽרָעָ֔ב וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לַשְּׁבִ֖י לַשֶּֽׁבִי׃
און עס װעט זײַן, אַז זײ װעלן זאָגן צו דיר: װוּהין זאָלן מיר אַװעקגײן? זאָלסטו זאָגן צו זײ: אַזױ האָט גאָט געזאָגט: װער צום טױט, צום טױט, און װער צום שװערד, צום שװערד, און װער צום הונגער, צום הונגער, און װער צו געפֿאַנגענשאַפֿט, צו געפֿאַנגענשאַפֿט.
Bava Batra
Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: From where is this statement of the Sages [derived], that redeeming captives is a great mitzvah? He responded: as it is written: (Jeremiah 15, 2) "And it shall come to pass, when they say unto thee: Whither shall we go forth? then thou shall tell them: Thus saith the LORD: Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity." And Rabbi Yochanan said: As we go in to the verse, each part is harsher than the previous ones.