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The Prophecy
of Jeremias 35
The word that came to Jeremias from the Lord in the
days of Joakim the son of Josias king of Juda, saying:
Go to the house of the Rechabites: and speak to them,
and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one
of the chambers of the treasures, and thou shalt give
them wine to drink.
And I took Jezonias the son of Jeremias the son of Habsanias,
and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house
of the Rechabites.
And I brought them into the house of the Lord, to the
treasure house of the sons of Hanan, the son of Jegedelias
the man of God, which was by the treasure house of the
princes, above the treasure of Maasias the son of Sellum,
who was keeper of the entry.
And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites
pots full of wine, and cups: and I said to them: Drink
ye wine.
And they answered : We will not drink wine: because
Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us,
saying: You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your
children, for ever:
Neither shall ye build houses, nor sow seed, nor plant
vineyards, nor have any: but you shall dwell in tents
all your days, that you may live many days upon the
face of the earth, in which you are strangers.
Therefore we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son
of Rechab, our father, in all things that he commanded
us: so as to drink no wine all our days: neither we,
nor our wives, nor our sons, nor our daughters:
Nor to build houses to dwell in, nor to have vineyard,
or field, or seed:
But we have dwelt in tents, and have been obedient according
to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.
But when Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up to our
land, we said: Come, let us go into Jerusalem from the
face of the army of the Chaldeans, and from the face
of the army of Syria: and we have remained in Jerusalem.
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying:
Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Go,
and say to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem: Will you not receive instruction, to obey
my words, saith the Lord ?
The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, by which he
commanded his sons not to drink wine, have prevailed:
and they have drunk none to this day, because they have
obeyed the commandment of their father: but I have spoken
to you, rising early and speaking, and you have not
obeyed me.
And I have sent to you all my servants the prophets,
rising early, and sending and saying: Return ye every
man from his wicked way, and make your ways good: and
follow not strange gods, nor worship them, and you shall
dwell in the land, which I gave you and your fathers:
and you have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened to
me.
So the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have constantly
kept the commandment of their father, which he commanded
them: but this people hath not obeyed me.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel:
Behold I will bring upon Juda, and upon all the inhabitants
of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against
them, because I have spoken to them, and they have not
heard: I have called to them, and they have not answered
me.
And Jeremias said to the house of the Rechabites: Thus
saith the Lord of hosts the Cod of Israel: Because you
have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father,
and have kept all his precepts, and have done all that
he commanded you:
Therefore thus saith the Lord of host the God of Israel:
There shall not be wanting a man of the race of Jonadab
the son of Rechab, standing before me for ever. |