Jeremiah 35

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

And it came to pass in the fourth year of Sedekias king of Juda, in the fifth month, [that] Ananias the false prophet, the son of Azor, from Gabaon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying,

2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the LORD’s house, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink.”

Thus saith the Lord; I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, with his brothers, all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

Yet two full years, and I will return into this place the vessels of the house of the Lord,

4 and I brought them into the LORD’s house, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the room of the princes, which was above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

and Jechonias, and the captivity of Juda: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

5 I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Drink wine!”

Then Jeremias spoke to Ananias in the sight of all the people, and in the sight of the priests that stood in the house of the Lord,

6 But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, neither you nor your children, forever.

and Jeremias said, May the Lord indeed do thus; may he confirm thy word which thou dost prophesy, to return the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the captivity, out of Babylon to this place.

7 You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land in which you live as nomads.’

Nevertheless hear ye the word of the Lord which I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people.

8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;

The prophets that were before me and before you of old, also prophesied over much country, and against great kingdoms, concerning war.

9 and not to build houses for ourselves to dwell in. We have no vineyard, field, or seed;

[As for] the prophet that has prophesied for peace, when the word has come [to pass], they shall know the prophet whom the Lord has sent them in truth.

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

Then Ananias took the yokes from the neck of Jeremias in the sight of all the people, and broke them to pieces.

11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, ‘Come! Let’s go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we will dwell at Jerusalem.’”

And Ananias spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus said the Lord; Thus will I break the yoke of the king of Babylon from the necks of all the nations. And Jeremias went his way.

12 Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, after that Ananias had broken the yokes off his neck, saying,

13 “The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words?” says the LORD.

Go and speak to Ananias, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but I will make instead of them yokes of iron.

14 “The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father’s commandment; but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking, and you have not listened to me.

For thus said the Lord, I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all the nations, that they may serve the king of Babylon.

15 I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, ‘Every one of you must return now from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers;’ but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.

And Jeremias said to Ananias, The Lord has not sent thee; and thou hast caused this people to trust in unrighteousness.

16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me.”’

Therefore thus said the Lord: Behold, I [will] cast thee off from the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die.

17 “Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.’”

So he died in the seventh month.

18 Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you,’

19 therefore the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.’”