The Obedient Rechabites

35 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, “Go to the house of the (A)Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of (B)the chambers, and give them wine to drink.”

Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites, and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, (C)the keeper of the [a]door. Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Drink wine.”

But they said, “We will drink no wine, for (D)Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink (E)no wine, you nor your sons, forever. You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, (F)that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.’ Thus we have (G)obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; nor do we have vineyard, field, or seed. 10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, ‘Come, let us (H)go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians.’ So we dwell at Jerusalem.”

12 Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not (I)receive instruction to [b]obey My words?” says the Lord. 14 “The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; for to this day they drink none, and obey their father’s commandment. (J)But although I have spoken to you, (K)rising early and speaking, you did not [c]obey Me. 15 I have also sent to you all My (L)servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, (M)‘Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will (N)dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me. 16 Surely the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their (O)father, which he commanded them, but this people has not obeyed Me.” ’

17 “Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the doom that I have pronounced against them; (P)because I have spoken to them but they have not heard, and I have called to them but they have not answered.’ ”

18 And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, 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 the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to (Q)stand before Me forever.” ’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 35:4 Lit. threshold
  2. Jeremiah 35:13 listen to
  3. Jeremiah 35:14 listen to

35 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, and said, (The word of the Lord that was made to Jeremiah, in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, and said,)

Go thou to the house of Rechabites, and speak thou to them; and thou shalt bring them into the house of the Lord, into one chamber of [the] treasuries, and thou shalt give to them to drink wine. (Go thou to the house of the Rechabites, and speak thou to them; and thou shalt bring them into the House of the Lord, into one of the chambers, or one of the rooms, and thou shalt give them some wine to drink.)

And I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremy, son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all the sons of him, and all the house of Rechabites. (And I went to Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brothers, and all their sons, and all the house of the Rechabites.)

And I led them into the house of the Lord, to the treasury of the sons of Hanan, son of Igdaliah, the man of God; which treasury was beside the treasury of [the] princes, (and) above the treasury of Maaseiah, son of Shallum, that was keeper of the vestiary. (And I led them into the House of the Lord, to the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, the man of God; which chamber was beside the chamber of the leaders, and above the chamber of Maaseiah, the son of Shallum, who was the guard, or the door-keeper.)

And I setted before the sons of the house of Rechabites pecks, and great cups full of wine; and I said to them, Drink ye (some) wine.

And they answered, We shall not drink wine; for why Jonadab, our father, the son of Rechab, commanded to us, and said, Ye shall not drink wine, ye and your sons, till into without end;

and ye shall not build an house, and ye shall not sow seed, and ye shall not plant vines, neither (ye) shall have (any), but ye shall dwell in tabernacles in all your days (but ye shall live in tents all your lives), (so) that ye (may) live many days on the face of [the] earth, in which ye go in pilgrimage.

Therefore we obeyed to the voice of Jonadab, our father, the son of Rechab, in all things which he commanded to us; so that we drank not wine in all our days, we, and our women, our sons, and (our) daughters;

and we builded not houses to dwell (in), and we had not a vinery, and a field, and seed; (and we did not build any houses to live in, and we do not have any vineyards, or any fields, or any seed;)

10 but we dwelled in tabernacles (but we lived in tents), and were obeying, and did by all things, which Jonadab, our father, commanded to us.

11 But when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had ascended to this land, we said, Come ye, and enter we into Jerusalem, from the face of the host of Chaldees, and from the face of the host of Syria; and we dwelled in Jerusalem. (But when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came into this land, we said, Come ye, and go we to Jerusalem, away from the Chaldean army, and away from the Syrian army; and so we stayed in Jerusalem.)

12 And the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy, and said,

13 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Go thou, and say to the men of Judah, and to the dwellers of Jerusalem, Whether ye shall not take teaching, that ye obey to my words, saith the Lord? (The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, Go thou, and say to the people of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Shall ye not receive teaching, or instruction, so that ye obey my words? saith the Lord.)

14 The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, had the mastery, which he commanded to his sons, that they should not drink wine; and they drink not, unto this day; for they obeyed to the commandment of their father; but I spake to you, and I rose (up) full early, and spake, and ye obeyed not to me.

15 And I sent to you all my servants (the) prophets, and I rose (up) full early, and I sent, and said, Be ye converted, each man from his worst way, and make ye good your studies, and do not ye follow alien gods, neither worship ye them, and ye shall dwell in the land, which I gave to you, and to your fathers; and ye bowed not [in] your ear, neither heard me. (And I sent my servants the prophets to all of you, yea, I rose up very early, and I sent them, and I said, Each person, turn ye away from his worst ways, and do ye good deeds, and do not ye follow strange, or foreign, gods, nor worship ye them, and then ye shall live in the land, which I gave to you, and to your forefathers; but ye bowed not in your ear, nor did ye listen to me.)

16 Therefore the sons of Jonadab, son of Rechab, made steadfast the commandment of their father, which he commanded to them; but this people obeyed not to me.

17 Therefore the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall bring on Judah, and on all the dwellers of Jerusalem (and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem), all the torment which I spake against them; for I spake to them, and they heard not; I called them, and they answered not to me.

18 Forsooth Jeremy said to the house of Rechabites, The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, For that that ye obeyed to the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his commandments, and did all things, which he commanded to you;

19 therefore the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, A man of the generation of Jonadab, son of Rechab, shall not fail standing in my sight in all days. (and so the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, One of the descendants of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall always stand before me.)

35 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:

Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

12 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

13 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord.

14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.

15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

18 And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.