Jeremiah 35

Jeremiah Brings the Rechabites to the Temple

1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, 2“Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak with them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, 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. 4I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was beside the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold. 5Then I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine and cups and said to them, “Drink wine.”

The Rechabites Refuse Wine

6But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your children, forever. 7You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or possess one. But all your days you shall live in tents, so that you may live many days upon the face of the land where you are staying.’ 8We have listened to the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab our ancestor in all that he commanded us, not drinking wine all our days—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters— 9and not building houses for ourselves to live in. We have no vineyard or field or seed, 10but we have lived in tents and listened and done according to all that Jonadab our ancestor commanded us. 11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, let us go to Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans and because of the army of Aram.’ So we have lived in Jerusalem.”

Judah Has Not Listened

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: Will you not receive discipline and listen to my words?” says the LORD. 14“The words of Jonadab son of Rechab, which he commanded his children not to drink wine, have been established, and they have not drunk to this day, for they have listened to the command of their ancestor. But I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, and you have not listened to me. 15I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil way, make your deeds good, and do not go after other gods to serve them. Then you will dwell in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. 16Indeed, the children of Jonadab son of Rechab have established the command of their ancestor that he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me. 17Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: Look, I am bringing upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I spoke against them, because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I called to them but they did not answer.”

A Promise to the Rechabites

18Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you listened to the command of Jonadab your ancestor and kept all his commands and did according to all that he commanded you, 19therefore thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a man to stand before me all the days.”