The Faithful Rekabites
Jeremiah 35This is the word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, “You are to go to the house of the Rekabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of YHWH, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink.”
Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, with his brothers, all his sons, and the whole house of the Rekabites; and I brought them into the house of YHWH, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the room of the princes, which was above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold. I set bowls full of wine and cups before the sons of the house of the Rekabites, and I said to them, “Y’all drink some wine!”
But they said, “We will not drink wine, because Jonadab the son of Rekab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘Y’all and your* descendants must not drink, forever. Y’all must not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or own one. Instead, for all your* days, y’all are to dwell in tents, so that y’all may live many days in the land where y’all live as nomads.’ We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rekab, our father, in all that he commanded us. Neither we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters have ever drunk wine in all our days, and we have not built houses for ourselves to dwell in. We have no vineyard, field, or seed, but we have only live in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, ‘Y’all come! Let’s go to Jerusalem to get away from the Chaldean and Aramean army. So we have dwelt in Jerusalem.’”
Then the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah, saying, “YHWH Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You are to go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will y’all not receive instruction and obey tomy words?” says YHWH. “The words of Jonadab the son of Rekab that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, have been observed. To this day they do not drink, because they obey their father’s commandment. But I have spoken to y’all, again and again, and y’all have not obeyed me. Again and again, I have sent all my servants the prophets to y’all, saying, ‘Every one of y’all must turn away your* evil way, amend your* deeds, and stop following after other gods to serve them. Then y’all will dwell in the land which I have given to y’all and to y’all’s ancestors.’ But y’all have not turned your* ear and obeyed me. The sons of Jonadab the son of Rekab have observed the commandment that their father commanded them, but this people has not listened to me.”’
“Therefore YHWH, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Look, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.’”
Jeremiah said to the house of the Rekabites, “YHWH Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because y’all have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab y’all’s father, and kept all his instructions, and done everything that he commanded y’all,’ therefore YHWH Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jonadab the son of Rekab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.’”