The Obedience of the Rechabites

1The wordes which the LORDE spake vnto Ieremy, (in the reigne of Ioachim the sonne of Iosias kinge of Iuda) are these: 2Go vnto ye house of the Rechabites, & call them out, & bringe the to ye house of the LORDE in to some commodious place, and geue them wyne to drynke. 3Then toke I Iasanias the sonne of Ieremy, the sonne of Habazania, and his brethre and all his sonnes, and the whole housholde off the Rechabites: 4and brought them to the house off the LORDE, in to the closet of the children off Hanan the sonne off Igdalia the man off God: which was by the closet off the prynces, that is aboue the closet of Maasia the sonne of Sellum, which is the chefe off the tresury. 5And before the sonnes of the kynred of the Rechabites, I set pottes full of wyne, and cuppes, and sayde vnto them: drynke wyne. 6But they sayde: we drynke no wyne, For Ionadab the sonne of Rechab oure father commaunded vs, sayenge: Ye and youre sonnes shall neuer drynke wyne, buylde no houses, sowe no sede, plante no vynes, 7yee ye shall haue no vynyardes: but for all youre tyme ye shall dwell in tetes, yt ye maye lyue loge in the lode, wherin ye be straugers. 8Thus haue we obeyed the comaundemet of Ionadab ye sonne of Rechab oure father, in all yt he hath charged vs, and so we drynke no wyne all oure lyue longe: we, oure wyues, or sonnes & oure doughters. 9Nether buylde we eny house to dwell therin, we haue also amonge vs nether vynyardes, ner corne lode to sowe: 10but we dwell in tentes, we obeye, & do acordinge vnto all, that Ionadab oure father commaunded vs. 11But now yt Nabuchodonosor the kinge of Babilo came vp in to the lode, we sayde: come, let vs go to Ierusale, yt we maye escape the hooste of the Caldees ad the Assirias: & so we dwell now at Ierusale.

Judah Rebuked

12Then came ye worde of the LORDE vnto Ieremy, sayenge: 13Thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: Go & tell whole Iuda & all the inhabitours of Ierusale: Wyll ye not be refourmed, to obeye my wordes? saieth the LORDE. 14The wordes which Ionadab the sonne off Rechab comaunded his sonnes, yt they shulde drynke no wyne, are fast & surely kepte: for vnto this daye they drynke no wyne: but obeye their fathers comaundement. But as for me, I haue stode vp early, I haue spoke vnto you, & geuen you earnest warnynge: & yet haue ye not bene obediet vnto me. 15Yee I haue sent my seruautes, all the prophetes vnto you, I rose vp early, & sent you worde, sayenge: O turne you, euery man from his wicked waye: amede yor lyues, & go not after strauge goddes, to worshippe the: yt ye maye cotinue in the lode, which I haue geuen vnto you and youre fathers, but ye wolde nether heare me, ner folowe me. 16The childre of Ionadab Rachabs sonne haue stedfastly kepte their fathers comaudement, yt he gaue them, but this people is not obedient vnto me 17And therfore thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes ye God of Israel: Beholde, I wil bringe vpo Iuda & vpo euery one yt dwelleth in Ierusale, all the trouble yt I haue deuysed agaynst the. For I haue spoke vnto the, but they wolde not folowe: I haue called vnto them, neuertheles they wolde geue me no answere.

18Ieremy also spake vnto the housholde off the Rechabites: Thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: For so moch as ye haue obeyed ye comaundemet of Ionadab yor father, & kepte all his preceptes, & done acordinge vnto all yt he hath bydden you: 19Therfore thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: Ionadab the sonne of Rechab shal not fayle, but haue one out of his stocke, to stode allwaye before me.