Jeremiah 35

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

1This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD. Jeremiah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. It came when Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah.

2Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

2God said, "Go to the Rechabite family and speak to them. Bring them into one of the rooms in the house of the LORD. Then offer them wine to drink."

Note"The house of the LORD" is the temple in Jerusalem, the building where people came to worship God.

3Then 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;

3So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, whose grandfather was Habazziniah. I also took his brothers and all his sons. That was the whole Rechabite family.

4And 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 door:

4I brought them into the house of the LORD. We went into the room used by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. That room was near the room of the leaders. It was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, who guarded the door.

5And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

5I set pitchers full of wine and some cups in front of the Rechabite men. I said to them, "Have some wine."

6But 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:

6But they said, "We do not drink wine. Our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab gave us a rule. He said we must never drink wine, and neither must our children."

NoteThe KJV calls Jonadab their "father," but he was not their dad. He was an ancestor who lived long before them.

7Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

7"He also said: never build a house. Do not plant seeds or grape vines, and do not own any. Live in tents all your lives. Then you will live many years in this land, where you move from place to place."

8Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

8"We have obeyed our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab in everything he told us. We have never drunk wine. Not us, not our wives, not our sons or daughters."

9Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

9"We have not built houses to live in. We own no grape fields, no farm fields, and no seed."

10But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

10"We have lived in tents instead. We have obeyed and done just what our forefather Jonadab told us."

11But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

11"But then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, marched into our land. We said, 'Come, let us go into Jerusalem.' We were afraid of the army of Babylon and the army of Aram. So now we are living in Jerusalem."

12Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

12Then a message from the LORD came to Jeremiah. He said:

13Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.

13"The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn, and listen to my words?' says the LORD."

Note"LORD of Hosts" means the LORD who commands great armies. It is a name that shows his power.

14The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; 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 hearkened not unto me.

14"Jonadab son of Rechab told his sons not to drink wine, and they obeyed. To this day they drink none, because they obey their forefather. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you did not listen to me."

15I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

15"I also sent you all my servants the prophets, again and again. They said, 'Each of you, stop doing wrong. Change the way you act. Do not follow other gods and serve them. Then you may live in the land I gave you and your fathers.' But you would not listen to me at all."

16Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:

16"Jonadab's family did what their forefather told them to do. But these people have not listened to me."

17Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

17"So the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. I will bring on Judah and on everyone in Jerusalem all the trouble I warned about. I spoke to them, and they did not listen. I called to them, and they did not answer."

18And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

18Then Jeremiah said to the Rechabite family, "The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. You obeyed what your forefather Jonadab told you. You kept all his rules and did everything he asked."

19Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

19"So the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this. Jonadab son of Rechab will always have someone from his family to serve me."

NoteThe KJV says Jonadab "shall not want a man to stand before me." Here "want" means lack, and "stand before me" means serve God.