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35
1 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: 2 Go to where the Rechabites*See 2 Kings 10:15-31; 1 Chronicles 2:55. live. Invite them to come with you to one of the rooms in the Lord's Temple and offer 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. 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. 5 I placed some jugs full of wine and some cups before the Rechabites and told them, “Have some wine to drink.”
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. 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.’
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. 9 We haven't built houses to live in, and we haven't had any vineyards or fields or grown any crops. 10 We've lived in tents and have obeyed our forefather Jonadab, following everything he ordered us to do.
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,†“Chaldeans”: this is usually translated “Babylonians,” but Babylonians are also included here separately. The Chaldeans were part of Babylonia, coming from the south of the region. Babylonians, and Arameans.’ That's why we've stayed in Jerusalem.”
12 Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 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. 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!
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. 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.
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.
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, 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.

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*35:2 See 2 Kings 10:15-31; 1 Chronicles 2:55.

†35:11 “Chaldeans”: this is usually translated “Babylonians,” but Babylonians are also included here separately. The Chaldeans were part of Babylonia, coming from the south of the region.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher