36 Jeremiah 21-36: A Translation(^22) Look I am commanding-oracle of Yahweh-and I will bring them back
to this city, and they will fight against it and take it, and they will burn it with
fire; and the cities of Judah I will make a desolation without inhabitant.
B. What about Those Rechabites? (35:1-19)
- A Lesson on Obedience (35:1-11)
35 1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim son
of Josiah, king of Judah:^2 Go to the house of the Rechabites, and you shall
speak to them and bring them to the house of Yahweh, to one of the chambers,
and you shall offer them wine to drink.^3 So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah,
son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, indeed the entire house
of the Rechabites,^4 and I brought them to the house of Yahweh, to the cham-
ber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was next to
the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of
Shall um, the keeper of the threshold.^5 Then I set before the sons of the house
of Rechabites pitchers full of wine and cups, and I said to them, 'Drink wine.'
(^6) But they said, 'We will not drink wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab, our father,
commanded us saying, "You shall not drink wine-you or your sons-forever,
(^7) and a house you shall not build, and seed you shall not sow, and a vineyard
you shall not plant, nor shall it belong to you, for in tents you shall dwell all
your days, in order that you may live many days on the face of the earth where
you are sojourning."^8 And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab,
our father, in all that he commanded us, so as not to drink wine all our days-
we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters,^9 also so as not to build houses for
our dwellings, and vineyard or field or seed not to have for ourselves.^10 So we
dwell in tents, and we have heeded and done according to everything that
Jonadab, our father, commanded us. llBut it happened when Nebuchadrez-
zar, king of Babylon, came up into the land, then we said, "Come, and let us
enter Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans and because of the army
of the Aramaeans." So we are dwelling in Jerusalem.'
- Oracles for the Obedient and Disobedient (35:12-19)
(^12) And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah: (^13) Thus said Yahweh of hosts, God
of Israel: Go, and you shall say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem:
Will you not take correction to listen to my words-oracle of Yahweh?
(^14) The words of Jonadab son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons so
as not to drink wine have been carried out, and they have not drunk to this
day because they have heeded the command of their father. But I, I have
spoken to you-constantly I have spoken-and you have not listened to
me.^15 And I have sent to you all my servants the prophets-constantly I