Jeremias 35

¹ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the daysFor the disposition and order of these prophecies. {{See Jer_27:1}}of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

² Go to the house of theThey came from Hobab, Moses father-in-law, who was no Israelite, but later joined with them in the service of God.Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

³ Then tooke I Iaazaniah, the sonne of Ieremiah the sonne of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sonnes, and the whole house of the Rechabites,

⁴ And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a manThat is, a prophet.of God, who [was] by the chamber of the princes, which [was] above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:

⁵ And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and IThe prophet says not. The Lord says thus, for then they ought to have obeyed, but he tends to another end: that is, to declare their obedience to man, seeing the Jews would not obey God himself.said to them, Drink ye wine.

⁶ But they said, We will drink no wine: forWhom the king of Israel favoured for his zeal, (2Ki_10:15).Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying,Teaching them by this to flee all opportunity for intemperancy, ambition and greed and that they might know that they were strangers in the earth, and be ready to depart at all opportunity.Ye shall drink no wine, [neither ye], nor your sons for ever:

⁷ Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seede, nor plant vineyarde, nor haue any, but all your dayes ye shall dwell in tentes, that ye may liue a long time in the land where ye be strangers.

⁸ Thus haue wee obeyed the voyce of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father, in all that he hath charged vs, and wee drinke no wine all our dayes, neither wee, our wiues, our sonnes, nor our daughters.

⁹ Neither builde wee houses for vs to dwell in, neither haue we vineyard, nor fielde, nor seede,

¹⁰ But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according toWhich was now for the span of three hundred years from Jehu to Jehoiakim.all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

¹¹ But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar 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 weWhich declares that they were not so bound to their vow that it could not be broken for any need, for where they were commanded to dwell in tents, they dwell now at Jerusalem for fear of the wars.dwell at Jerusalem.

¹² Then came the word of the Lord vnto Ieremiah, saying,

¹³ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, WillWhom I have chosen to be my children seeing these who were the children of a heathen, obeyed the commandment of their father.ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.

¹⁴ The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for to this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: however I have spoken to you,I have most diligently exhorted and warned you both by myself and my prophet.rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not to me.

¹⁵ I haue sent also vnto you all my seruants the Prophetes, rising vp earely, and sending, them, saying, Returne nowe euery man from his euill way, and amende your workes, and goe not after other gods to serue them, and ye shall dwel in the lande which I haue giuen vnto you, and to your fathers, but ye would not encline your eare, nor obey mee.

¹⁶ Surely the sonnes of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab, haue kept the commaundement of their father, which he gaue them, but this people hath not obeyed me.

¹⁷ Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I haveThat is, by his prophets and ministers which shows that it is as much, as though he would speak to us himself when he sends his ministers to speak in his Name.spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.

¹⁸ And Ieremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel, Because ye haue obeyed the commandement of Ionadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according vnto all that hee hath commaunded you,

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shallHis posterity will continue and be in my favour for ever.not lack a man to stand before me for ever.