Jeremiah 35

The Rechabites’ Obedience

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of 1Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2“Go to the house of the 2Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the 3chambers, and give them wine to drink.” 3Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites, 4and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the 4man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, 5the doorkeeper. 5Then I set before the 6men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine and cups; and I said to them, “7Drink wine!” 6But they said, “We will not drink wine, for 8Jonadab the son of 9Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall 10not drink wine, you or your sons, forever. 7You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in 11tents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live 12many days in the land where you 13sojourn.’ 8We have 14obeyed 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, 9nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; and we 15do not have vineyard or field or seed. 10We have only 16dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and have done according to all that 17Jonadab our father commanded us. 11But when 18Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come and let us 19go to Jerusalem before the army of the Chaldeans and before the army of the Arameans.’ So we have dwelt in Jerusalem.”

Judah Rebuked

12Then 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, “20Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words?” declares the Lord. 14“The 21words 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 2223again and again; yet you have 24not listened to Me. 15Also I have sent to you all My 25servants the prophets, sending them 26again and again, saying: ‘27Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and 28do not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will 29dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not 30inclined your ear or listened to Me. 16Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have 31observed the command of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to Me.’”’ 17Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, 32I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I 33spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.’”

18Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have 34obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands and done according to all that he commanded you; 19therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Jonadab the son of Rechab 35shall not lack a man to 36stand before Me 37always.”’”