1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2“Go to the family of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the Temple of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.” 3Then I brought Jaazaniah, son of Jeremiah, son of Habbaziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, all members of the family of the Rechabites, 4And I brought them into the Temple of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan, son of Igdaliah, a man of God, who was by the room of the officials, which was above the room of Maaseiah, son of Shallum, the keeper of the door. 5And I set before the sons of the family of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.” 6But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab, son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons forever; 7Neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor have any, but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land where you are sojourners.’ 8Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, son of Rechab, our father, in all that he has charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters; 9Nor to build houses to dwell in; nor have we vineyard, field, or seed, 10But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab, our father, commanded us. 11But when Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, came up into the land, we said, ‘Come, let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and the army of the Syrians’; so now we dwell at Jerusalem.”

12Then this word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 13“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Come and learn a lesson about how to obey My words.” says the LORD. 14The words of Jonadab, son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are obeyed; for to this day, they drink none, but obey their father's commandment. But I have spoken to you time and again, rising early and speaking; but you would not listen to Me. 15I have also sent to you all My servants, the prophets, rising up early and sending them, to say, “Turn back, now, everyone from his evil way, and amend your actions, and do not pursue other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers”; but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to Me. 16The descendants of Jonadab, son of Rechab, have obeyed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but you people have paid no attention to Me; 17Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will bring upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the punishment that I have warned them of, because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened; I have pleaded with them, but they have not responded.”’”

18And Jeremiah said to the descendants of Rechab, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab, your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he has commanded you; 19Jonadab, son of Rechab, shall never lack a man to stand before Me forever.’”