The Obedience of the Rechabites
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying:
Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
And I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites,
and I 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 princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold.
And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them: Drink wine.
And they said: We will not drink wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying: You shall not drink wine, you and your sons, forever.
And a house you shall not build, and seed you shall not sow, and a vineyard you shall not plant, and you shall not have one; for in tents you shall dwell all your days, so that you may live many days on the face of the ground where you sojourn.
And we have obeyed 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 and our daughters —
and not to build houses for our dwelling; and vineyard and field and seed we have not had.
And we dwelt in tents, and we obeyed and did according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
And it was, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, that we said: Come, let us come to Jerusalem, before the army of the Chaldeans and before the army of Aram. And we dwell in Jerusalem.
Judah Rebuked
And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying:
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the man of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Will you not take discipline, to listen to my words? — the utterance of the LORD.
The words of Jonadab son of Rechab, who commanded his sons not to drink wine, have been raised up, and they have not drunk to this day, for they obeyed the commandment of their father. And I myself have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, and you have not listened to me.
And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending, saying: Return now, each from his evil way, and make your deeds good, and do not walk after other gods to serve them; and dwell on the ground I gave to you and to your fathers. But you did not incline your ear and did not listen to me.
For the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab have raised up the commandment of their father that he commanded them, but this people have not listened to me.
Therefore thus says the LORD, God of hosts, the God of Israel: See, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil I spoke against them; because I spoke to them and they did not hear, and I called to them and they did not answer.
And to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father and kept all his commandments and done according to all that he commanded you —
therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: There will not be cut off for Jonadab son of Rechab a man standing before my face, all the days.