The Obedience of the Rechabites

1The word which was to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them, and bring them to the house of Jehovah, to one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. 3And I shall take Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazaniah and his brethren, and all his sons, and all the house of the Rechabites; 4And I shall bring them to the house of Jehovah to the chamber of the sons of Hanan, son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was near the chamber of the chiefs, which was from above to the chamber of Maaseiah, son of Shallum, watching the threshold. 5And I shall give before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine, and cups, and saying to them, Drink ye wine. 6And they will say, We shall not drink wine: for Jonadab, son of Rechab our father, commanded to us, saying, Ye shall not drink wine, ye and your sons even to forever. 7And ye shall not build a house, and ye shall not sow seed, and ye shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be, to you: for in tents shall ye dwell all your days, so that ye shall live many days upon the face of the earth where ye are strangers there. 8And we will hear to the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab our father, for all which he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters; 9Not to build houses for our dwelling; and vineyard and field and seed shall not be to us. 10And we will dwell in tents, and we will hear and we will do according to all which Jonadab our father commanded us. 11And it will be in the coming up of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel, to the land, and we shall say, Come, and we will go to Jerusalem from the face of the army of the Chaldean, and from the face of the army of Aram, and we will dwell in Jerusalem.

Judah Rebuked

12And the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah, saying, 13Thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, Go and say to the man Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hear to my word? says Jehovah. 14The words of Jonadab son of Rechab who commanded his sons not to drink wine, were raised up; and they drank not even to this clay, for they heard the command of their father: and spake to you, rising early and speaking; and ye heard not to me. 15And I shall send to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending, saying, Turn ye back now each from his evil way, and make good your doings, and ye shall not go after other gods to serve them, and turn ye back to the land which I gave to you and to your fathers: and ye inclined not your ear and ye heard not to me. 16For the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab raised up the commands of their father which be commanded them; and this people heard not to me. 17For this, thus said Jehovah, God of armies, God of Israel, Behold me bringing to Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the evil which I spake concerning them; because I spake to them and they heard not; and I shall call to them and they answered not.

18And Jeremiah said to the house of the Reehabites, Thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, Because that ye heard to the command of Jonadab your father, and ye will watch all his commands, and ye will do all which he commanded you: 19For this, thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, A man shall not be cut off to Jonadab son of Rechab, to stand before my face all the days.