Jeremiah 35

1 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, —in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah saying:

2 Go to where the Rechabites live. Invite them to come with you to one of the rooms in the Lord's Temple and offer them wine to drink.

Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak with them, and bring them into the house of Yahweh, into one of the chambers, —and give them, wine, to drink.

3 So I went to visit Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole Rechabite family.

So I took Jaazaniah, son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, —and all the house of the Rechabites;

4 Then I took them into the Lord's Temple, to a room used by the sons of Hanan, son of Igdaliah, a man of God. It was next to the one used by the officials, which was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, who was the Temple doorkeeper.

and brought them into the house of Yahweh, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God, —which was beside the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum keeper of the porch;

5 I placed some jugs full of wine and some cups before the Rechabites and told them, “Have some wine to drink.”

and I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups, —and said unto them Drink ye wine.

6 “We don't drink wine,” they said, “because our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab gave us these orders: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine.

Then said they, —We will not drink wine, —for Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, laid command upon us, saying, Ye shall not drink wine, ye, nor your sons, unto times age-abiding;

7 Don't ever build houses or sow crops or plant vineyards. You're not to do this. Instead, you are to always live in tents so that you may have long lives as you move from place to place in the country.’

nor house, shall ye build nor, seed, shall ye sow, nor vineyard, shall ye plant, neither shall ye have them, —but in tents, shall ye dwell, all your days, that ye may live many days on the face of the soil where ye are sojourning.

8 We have done exactly what our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab told us. None of us have ever drunk wine, and that includes our wives and our sons and daughters as well as us.

So we have hearkened unto the voice of Jonadab, son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, —not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons nor our daughters;

9 We haven't built houses to live in, and we haven't had any vineyards or fields or grown any crops.

and not to build houses for us to dwell in, —and so, vineyard or field or seed, have we none;

10 We've lived in tents and have obeyed our forefather Jonadab, following everything he ordered us to do.

but we have dwelt in tents, —and have hearkened and done, according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11 So when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the country we decided, ‘Come on, let's go into Jerusalem to be safe from the armies of the Chaldeans, Babylonians, and Arameans.’ That's why we've stayed in Jerusalem.”

And so it came to pass when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, —Let us even enter, Jerusalem, because of the force of the Chaldeans and because of the force of the Syrians: So have we dwelt in Jerusalem.

12 Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:

Then came the word of Yahweh unto Jeremiah, saying:

13 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem: Why don't you accept my instructions and obey what I tell you? the Lord asks.

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, Go and say to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, —Will ye not receive correction by hearkening unto my words? Demandeth Yahweh:

14 The instructions of Jonadab son of Rechab have been followed. He ordered his descendants not to drink wine, and they have not drunk it to this day because they have obeyed their forefather's command. But I have told you what to do time and again, and yet you refuse to obey me!

Confirmed are the words of Jonadab son of Rechab—which he commanded his sons that they should not drink, wine, and they have not drunk until this day, for they have hearkened unto the command of their father, But, I, have spoken unto you, betimes, speaking, and ye have not hearkened, unto me.

15 Time and again I've sent you so many of my servants the prophets to tell you: Everyone, stop your evil ways and do what's right! Don't go following other gods and worshiping them. Live in the land that I gave you and your fathers. But you haven't paid attention or obeyed me.

And I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, betimes, sending, saying, Return I pray you—every man from his wicked way, And amend your doings, And do not go after other gods to serve them, So shall ye remain on the soil which I gave to you, and to your fathers, —but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened, unto me.

16 These descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have followed the command given to them by their forefather, but these people haven't obeyed me.

Because the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab have, confirmed, the commandment of their father which he commanded them, —whereas, this people, have not hearkened unto me,

17 So this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Watch as I bring down on Judah and on all the people living in Jerusalem all the disasters I have threatened to do to them, because I have told them what to do but they haven't obeyed; I have appealed to them but they haven't responded.

Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh, God of hosts, God of Israel, Behold me! bringing in against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the calamity, which I have spoken concerning them, —Because I spake unto them and they did not hearken, And I called to them and they did not answer.

18 Then Jeremiah told the Rechabites: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Because you have obeyed your forefather Jonadab's instructions and have followed his orders and have done everything he told you to do,

But to the house of the Rechabites, said Jeremiah: Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, Because ye have hearkened unto the commandment of Jonadab your father, and have kept all his commandments, and done according to all that he commanded you

19 this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will always have someone who will be in my presence serving me.

Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, —Jonadab son of Rechab shall not want one to stand before me, all the days!