Jeremiah 35:1–19
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of aJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,
2 “Go to the house of the aRechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the bchambers, and give them wine to drink.”
3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites,
4 and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the aman of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, bthe doorkeeper.
5 Then I set before the 1men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine and cups; and I said to them, “aDrink wine!”
6 But they said, “We will not drink wine, for aJonadab the son of bRechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall cnot drink wine, you or your sons, forever.
7 ‘You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in atents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live bmany days in the land where you csojourn.’
8 “We have aobeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons or our daughters,
9 nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; and we ado not have vineyard or field or seed.
10 “We have only adwelt in tents, and have obeyed and have done according to all that bJonadab our father commanded us.
11 “But when aNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come and let us bgo to Jerusalem before the army of the Chaldeans and before the army of the Arameans.’ So we have dwelt in Jerusalem.”
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,
13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “aWill you not receive instruction by listening to My words?” declares the Lord.
14 “The awords of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are observed. So they do not drink wine to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. But I have spoken to you 1bagain and again; yet you have cnot listened to Me.
15 “Also I have sent to you all My aservants the prophets, sending them 1again and again, saying: ‘bTurn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and cdo not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will ddwell in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not einclined your ear or listened to Me.
16 ‘Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have aobserved the command of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to Me.’ ” ’
17 “Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, aI am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I bspoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.’ ”
18 Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have aobeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands 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 ashall not lack a man to bstand before Me 1always.” ’ ”