1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 2 Go unto 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. 3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; 4 and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the vessels: 5 and I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine and cups, and I said unto them, Drink wine. 6 But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: 7 neither shall ye build a house, nor sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye are strangers. 8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab our father, the son of Rechab, in all that he has charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; 9 nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: 10 But we have dwelt in tents and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But it came to pass, nevertheless, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem from before the army of the Chaldeans and from before of the army of the Syrians: and so we remain in Jerusalem.
12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, 13 Thus hath the LORD of the hosts, the God of Israel said: Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye never receive chastisement hearkening to my words? said the LORD. 14 The word of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, was not moved; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye did not hearken unto me. 15 I have sent also unto you all my slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Turn ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and ye shall live in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. 16 Certainly the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have not moved the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people has not hearkened unto me: 17 therefore thus hath the LORD God of the hosts, the God of Israel said; Behold, I bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I spoke unto them, but they did not hear; and I called unto them, but they did not answer.
18 And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts, God of Israel said; Because ye listened to the commandment of Jonadab your father and kept all his commandments and have done according unto all that he has commanded you: 19 therefore thus hath the LORD of the hosts, God of Israel said; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before me for ever.