Jeremiah 35

1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

2Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them to the house of Yahweh, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

3So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites.

4So I brought them into the house of Yahweh, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was beside the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

5Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rekabites bowls full of wine and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.”

6But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever.’”

7You must not build a house, and you must not sow seed, and you must not plant a vineyard, nor shall you have one; but you shall live in tents all your days, so that you may live many days on the face of the land where you are residing there.

8So we have obeyed the voice of Jehonadab son of Rechab, our father, in everything that he commanded us: not to drink wine all our days—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters.

9and not to build houses for us to live in; and vineyard and field and seed have not been ours.

10So we have lived in tents, and we have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans and because of the army of Aram.’ So we settled in Jerusalem.

12Then the word of Yahweh came to Yirmeyahu, saying,

13Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘Will you not receive instruction by listening to my words? declares the LORD.’

14The words of Jehonadab son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons—not to drink wine—have been upheld, and they have not drunk wine to this day, because they have obeyed the command of their father. But I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, and you have not listened to me.

15And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, ‘Please turn back, each man from his evil way, and make your deeds good, and do not go after other gods to serve them. Then dwell in the land that I gave to you and to your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.

16For the sons of Jehonadab son of Rechab have kept the command of their father that he commanded them, but this people have not listened to me.

17Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have spoken against them, because I spoke to them and they did not listen, and I called to them and they did not answer.

18And to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jehonadab your father, and have kept all his commands, and have done according to all that he commanded you,”

19Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man standing before me all the days.