1This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2“Go to the family of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them into the Temple of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and offer them wine to drink.” 3Then I went to get Jaazaniah, son of Jeremiah, son of Habbaziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, all members of the family of the Rechabites, 4And I brought them into the Temple of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan, son of Igdaliah, a man of God. The room was next to the room of the officials, and directly above the room of Maaseiah, son of Shallum, the doorkeeper. 5And I set jugs full of wine, and cups before the sons of the family of the Rechabites; and I said to them, “Drink some wine.” 6But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab, son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall never drink wine - not you, nor your sons; 7Nor shall you build houses, sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor have any of these things, but you shall dwell in tents all your days, so that you may live for a long time in the land where you sojourn.’ 8We have obeyed all that Jonadab, our father, son of Rechab, in all that he has commanded us, to drink no wine all our days - we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters; 9Nor to build houses to dwell in; nor do we have vineyards, fields, or seeds, 10But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done all that Jonadab, our father, commanded us. 11But when Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, invaded the land, we said, ‘Come, let us go to Jerusalem to escape the army of the Chaldeans, and the Syrians’; so now we dwell at Jerusalem.”

12Then this word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 13“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “Come and learn a lesson about how to obey My words. 14 Jonadab, son of Rechab, commanded his sons not to drink wine; and to this day, they drink none, but obey their father's commandment. But I have spoken to you time and again, rising early and speaking; but you would not listen to Me. 15I have also sent to you all My servants, the prophets, rising up early and sending them, to say, “Turn back, now, everyone from your evil ways, reform your behavior, and do not pursue or serve other gods; then you shall 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. 16The descendants of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have obeyed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but you people have paid no attention to Me; 17Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will bring upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the punishment that I have warned them of; because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened; I have pleaded with them, but they have not responded.”’”

18And Jeremiah said to the descendants of Rechab, ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab, your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he has commanded you, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 19“Jonadab, son of Rechab, shall never lack a man to stand before Me forever.”