The Obedience of the Rechabites

1The worde which came vnto Ieremiah from the Lorde, in the dayes of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, saying, 2Go vnto the house of the Rechabites, and speake vnto them, and bring them into the house of the Lorde into one of the chambers, and giue them wine to drinke. 3Then 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, 4And I brought them into the House of the Lord, into the chamber of the sonnes of Hanan, the sonne of Igdaliah a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was aboue the chamber of Maaseiah the sonne of Shallum, the keeper of the treasure. 5And I set before the sonnes of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine, and cuppes, and said vnto them, Drinke wine. 6But they said, We will drinke no wine: for Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father commaunded vs, saying, Ye shall drinke no wine, neither you nor your sonnes for euer. 7Neither 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. 8Thus 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. 9Neither builde wee houses for vs to dwell in, neither haue we vineyard, nor fielde, nor seede, 10But we haue remained in tentes, and haue obeyed, and done according to all that Ionadab our father commaunded vs. 11But when Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel came vp into the land, we said, Come, & let vs go to Ierusalem, from the hoste of the Caldeans, and from the host of Aram: so we dwel at Ierusalem.

Judah Rebuked

12Then came the word of the Lord vnto Ieremiah, saying, 13Thus saith the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, Goe, and tell the men of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem, Will ye not receiue doctrine to obey my wordes, saith the Lord? 14The commandement of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab that hee commaunded his sonnes, that they should drinke no wine, is surely kept: for vnto this day they drinke none, but obey their fathers commaundement: notwithstanding I haue spoken vnto you, rising earely, and speaking, but ye would not obey me. 15I 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. 16Surely 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. 17Therefore thus saith the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, Beholde, I will bring vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, all the euill that I haue pronounced against them, because I haue spoke vnto them, but they would not heare, and I haue called vnto them, but they would not answere.

18And 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, 19Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Ionadab the sonne of Rechab shall not want a man, to stand before me for euer.