[1] The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim
the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, [2] Go to the house of the
Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of Yahweh,
into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. [3] Then I took
Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the 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 Yahweh, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the
son of Igdaliah, the 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 threshold. [5] I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites
bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, Drink you wine. [6] But
they said, We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our
father, commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor
your sons, forever: [7] neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor
plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents;
that you may live many days in the land in which you sojourn. [8] We have
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; [9] nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we
vineyard, nor field, nor seed: [10] but we have lived in tents, and have
obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
[11] But it happened, 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 Yahweh to Jeremiah, saying, [13] Thus
says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and tell the men of Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction to listen to
my words? says Yahweh. [14] The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he
commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they
drink none, for they obey their father`s commandment: but I have spoken to
you, rising up early and speaking; and you have not listened to me. [15] I
have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and
sending them, saying, Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend
your doings, and don`t go after other gods to serve them, and you shall
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] Because the sons of
Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father
which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me; [17]
therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I
will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil
that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but
they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.
[18] Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus says Yahweh 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 Yahweh of Hosts, the God of
Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me
forever.
