Obedience of Rechabites

35 The word that came to Jeremiah from Adonai in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying: ² “Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them into one of the chambers of the House of Adonai, and give them wine to drink.”

³ So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites, ⁴ and I brought them into the House of Adonai to the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, the doorkeeper. ⁵ I set jars full of wine and cups before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, and said to them: “Drink wine!”

⁶ But they said: “We drink no wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab our father commanded us: ‘You will drink no wine, not you nor your sons, forever. ⁷ Also you are not to build a house, or sow seed, or plant a vineyard or own one. Instead all your days you are to dwell in tents, so that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ ⁸ So we obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters, ⁹ nor to build houses for us to dwell in, nor to own a vineyard, field or seed, ¹⁰ and we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. ¹¹ But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against the land, we said: ‘Come, let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Arameans. So we are dwelling in Jerusalem.”

¹² Then came the word of Adonai to Jeremiah, saying, ¹³ thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “Go, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words?’” says Adonai. ¹⁴ “The words of Jonadab son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are observed, and to this day they drink none, for they listen to their father’s commandment. Yet I have spoken to you, early and often, and you have not obeyed Me.

¹⁵ “I have sent also to you all My servants the prophets, sending them early and often, saying: ‘Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers; but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to Me. ¹⁶ For the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab have kept the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people have not obeyed Me.’”

¹⁷ Therefore thus says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “I am about to bring on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I spoke to them but they have not heard, and I have called to them but they have not answered.”

¹⁸ Now Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you,” ¹⁹ therefore thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “There will never be cut off for Jonadab son of Rechab a man to stand before Me forever.”