Jeremiah 35
35
Learn a Lesson from the Rechabites
1 #
2 K 23.36—24.6; 2 Ch 36.5-7. When Jehoiakim#35.1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3. was king of Judah, the Lord told me, 2“Go to the Rechabite clan and invite them to meet you in one of the side rooms#35.2 side rooms: Probably a room with walls on three sides, and open to the courtyard on the fourth side. of the temple. When they arrive, offer them a drink of wine.”
3So I went to Jaazaniah,#35.3 Jaazaniah: The Hebrew text has “Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah”; this is a different Jeremiah than the author of the book. the leader of the clan, and I invited him and all the men of his clan. 4I brought them into the temple courtyard and took them upstairs to a room belonging to the prophets who were followers of Hanan son of Igdaliah. It was next to a room belonging to some of the officials, and that room was over the one belonging to Maaseiah, a priest who was one of the high officials in the temple.#35.4 Maaseiah … temple: Hebrew “Maaseiah son of Shallum, the keeper of the temple door.”
5I set out some large bowls full of wine together with some cups, and then I said to the Rechabites, “Have some wine!”
6But they answered:
No! The ancestor of our clan, Jonadab son of Rechab,#35.6 Jonadab son of Rechab: See 2 Kings 10.15-23. In the Hebrew of this chapter, “Jonadab” is sometimes spelled “Jehonadab.” made a rule that we must obey. He said, “Don't ever drink wine 7or build houses or plant crops and vineyards. Instead, you must always live in tents and move from place to place. If you obey this command, you will live a long time.”
8-10Our clan has always obeyed Jonadab's command. To this very day, we and our wives and sons and daughters don't drink wine or build houses or plant vineyards or crops. And we have lived in tents, 11except now we have to live inside Jerusalem because Nebuchadnezzar#35.11 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2. has taken over the countryside with his army from Babylonia and Syria.
12-13Then the Lord told me to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, want you to learn a lesson 14from the Rechabite clan. Their ancestor Jonadab told his descendants never to drink wine, and to this very day they have obeyed him. But I have spoken to you over and over, and you haven't obeyed me! 15You refused to listen to my prophets, who kept telling you, “Stop doing evil and worshiping other gods! Start obeying the Lord, and he will let you live in this land he gave your ancestors.”
16The Rechabites have obeyed the command of their ancestor Jonadab, but you have not obeyed me, 17your God. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I warned you about the terrible things that would happen to you if you did not listen to me. But you have ignored me, so now disaster will strike you. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Makes a Promise to the Rechabites
18Then the Lord told me to say to the Rechabite clan:
“I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You have obeyed your ancestor Jonadab, 19so I promise that your clan will be my servants and will never die out.”
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Jeremiah 35: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 35
35
The Rechabites’ Example
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim#2Kg 23:34–24:19; 2Ch 36:4–8 son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2“Go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them,#1Ch 2:55 and bring them to one of the chambers#1Kg 6:5,8; 1Ch 9:26,33 of the temple of the Lord to offer them a drink of wine.”
3So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons — the entire house of the Rechabites — 4and I brought them into the temple of the Lord to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God,#Dt 33:1 who had a chamber near the officials’ chamber, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5I set jars filled with wine and some cups before the sons of the house of the Rechabites and said to them, “Drink wine!”
6But they replied, “We do not drink wine, for Jonadab,#2Kg 10:15,23 son of our ancestor Rechab, commanded, ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine. 7You must not build a house or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you. Rather, you must live in tents your whole life, so you may live a long time on the soil where you stay as a resident alien.’#Ex 20:12; Eph 6:2–3 8We have obeyed Jonadab, son of our ancestor Rechab, in all he commanded us. So we haven’t drunk wine our whole life — we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters. 9We also have not built houses to live in and do not have vineyard, field, or seed. 10But we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done everything our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. 11However, when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched into the land,#2Kg 24:1–2 we said, ‘Come, let’s go into Jerusalem to get away from the Chaldean and Aramean armies.’ So we have been living in Jerusalem.”
12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13“This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Go, say to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem, ‘Will you not accept discipline#Jr 31:18; 32:33 by listening to my words? — this is the Lord’s declaration. 14The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have been carried out. He commanded his descendants not to drink wine, and they have not drunk to this day because they have obeyed their ancestor’s command. But I have spoken to you time and time again,#35:14 Lit you, rising up early and speaking#Jr 7:13,25; 11:7; 25:3; 26:5; 29:19; 32:33; 44:4 and you have not obeyed me! 15Time and time again#35:15 Lit Rising up early and sending I have sent you all my servants the prophets, proclaiming, “Turn, each one from his evil way,#Jr 18:11 and correct your actions. Stop following other gods to serve them.#Jr 7:6 Live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors.” But you did not pay attention or obey me.#Jr 34:14 16Yes, the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab carried out their ancestor’s command he gave them, but these people have not obeyed me. 17Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will certainly bring on Judah and on all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I have pronounced against them because I have spoken to them, but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them, but they did not answer.’”
18But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the command of your ancestor Jonadab and have kept all his commands and have done everything he commanded you, 19this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a man to stand before me always.’”#Jr 31:36; 33:18
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