Learn a Lesson from the Rechabites
1 When Jehoiakim 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 of the temple. When they arrive, offer them a drink of wine.”
3 So I went to Jaazaniah, the leader of the clan, and I invited him and all the men of his clan. 4 I 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.
5 I set out some large bowls full of wine together with some cups, and then I said to the Rechabites, “Have some wine!”
6 But they answered:
No! The ancestor of our clan, Jonadab son of Rechab, made a rule that we must obey. He said, “Don't ever drink wine 7 or 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.”
8-10 Our 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, 11 except now we have to live inside Jerusalem because Nebuchadnezzar has taken over the countryside with his army from Babylonia and Syria.
12-13 Then 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 14 from 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! 15 You 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.”
16 The Rechabites have obeyed the command of their ancestor Jonadab, but you have not obeyed me, 17 your 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
18 Then 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, 19 so I promise that your clan will be my servants and will never die out.”
Jeremiab tsî Rexabǁîn
1 Josiab ôab Jojakimmi Judab gao-ao i ǁaeb ǃnâs ge mîs ǃKhūb disa Jeremiaba ge hāba: 2 “Rexabǁîn di ǃhaoǃnās ǃoa ǃgû, î ǁîn ǀkha sī ǃhoa, î ǁîna ǃKhūb ommi di ǃnā-omdi ǀguis ǃnâ ǂgâ-ū tsî ǂauxûi-e mā, ān nîse.” 3 O ta ge Jasanjab, Jeremiab ôab, Habasinjab ôab tsî ǁîb di ǃgâsagu tsî ǁîb ôagu hoagu tsî hoaraga ǃhaoǃnās Rexabǁîn dis tsîna ge ū. 4 Tsî ta ge ǁîna ǃKhūb ommi tawa sī-ū tsî Elob aob Hananni, Jixdaliab ôab di ǃnā-oms, Salummi ôab Masejab dis ǃnâ ge ǂgâ-ū. ǁÎs ge ǀgapise hâ ǃnā-oms gaoǀgôagu dis xōǀkhā ge hâ i. 5 Tsî ta ge Rexabǁîna ǂauxûib xa ǀoa hâ ǀgabidi tsî ǃoredi tsîna mâi-aiǃâ tsî “ǂAuxûi-i xa du ā re” ti ge mî.
6 Xawen ge ǁîna ge ǃeream: “Sida ge ǂauxûi-e ā tide, sida aboxab Rexab di ôab Jonadab ge sida ge mîmā, sida kas, sida ôananôagub kas hoasa da ǂauxûi-e ā tide, 7 tsî om-i tsîna om tidesa. ǁKhāti da tsoro tamas ka io ǀnî ǃhana-i kas, draibeǃhana-i kas hoasa ǂgā tide, tsî sida ûitsēdi hoade tentomdi ǃnâ nî ǁansa, î da nē ǃhūb ǃhaokhoese da hâǃnâb ǃnâ hâǀgara ǁkhā. 8 O da ge sida Rexab ôab, sida aboxab Jonadab ge mîmā dan hoana ge ǁnâuǀnam, ǂauxûi-i xare-e da sida ûitsēdi hoade ā tidesa, sida kas, sida taradi kas, sida ôagu kas, sida ôadi kas hoasa, 9 tsî da om-i xare-e ǁanǃnâ da nîse om tidesa. Sida ge ǁkhāti draibeǃhana-i kas, ǃhana-i kas, ǃkhom-i kas hoasa ūhâ tama hâ. 10 Xawe da ge tentomdi ǃnâ ǁan hâ tsî sida aboxab Jonadab ge mîmā dan hoana ge ǁnâuǀnam. 11 Xawe da ge Babilons Gao-aob Nebukadnesari ge ǃhūba nî ǁnāǂamse ǂoaxa, o ge mî: ‘Hā, î da Jerusalems ǃoa ǃgû, Xaldeaǁîn tsî Siriaǁîn toroǂnubis di ǃaob xa.’ ǁNā-amagas ge Jerusalems ǃnâ da ǁan hâsa.”
12 Os ge ǃKhūb di mîsa Jeremiaba ge hāba: 13 “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab Israeli di Eloba ra mî: ǃGû, î Judab khoen tsî Jerusalems ǁanǂgāsaben tsîna sī mîba. Tarexa du ti mîde ǃgâ ǂgao tama tsî ti mîmāde ǁnâuǀnam tama? tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî. 14 Rexab ôab Jonadab di surib ge ǁîb di mîmās, ǂauxûi-i xare-en ā tidesa ge ǁnâuǀnam tsî nētsēs kōse ǂauxûi-i xare-e ā tama hâ. Xawe du ge sado ǀûs ose ta ge sadu ǀkha ǃhoa, xawe ǁnâuǀnam te tama ge i. 15 Tita ge ti hoaraga ǃgāgu, kēbo-aoga ǀûs ose sado ǃoa ge sî, mî rase: Sadu hoado ǂkhaba daoba xu ūdabasen, î sadu dīga ǃgâiǃgâi, î tā ǀkhara eloga sao ǁîga nî ǀgoreǀîse, o du ge sadu ǃhūb, sadu tsî sadu aboxana ta ge māb ǃnâ nî ǁan. Xawe du ge ǃgâ ǂgao tama ge i tsî tita ǁnâuǀnam tama ge i. 16 Rexab ôab Jonadab di surib ge ǁîn aboxab di mîmās ǁînab ge māsa ge ǃkhōǀgaipe, xawe nē ǁaes ge tita ǁnâuǀnam tama hâ. 17 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli di Eloba nēti ra mî: Tita ge ǁîn ǃoagu ta ge ǃhoa ǂkhawasib hoaba Judab tsî Jerusalems di ǁanǂgāsaben hoan ai nî ūǀkhī; ǁîn ǀkha ta ge ǃhoa, xawen ge ǃgâ te tama ge i, ǁîna ta ge ǂgai, xawen ge ǃeream tama ge i.”
18 Xawe Rexabǁîn di ǃhaoǃnās ǃoab ge Jeremiaba ge mî: “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli di Eloba ra mî: Sadu aboxab Jonadab di mîmāsa du ge ǁnâuǀnam tsî ǁîb ǂnûiǂgāde sao tsî ǁîb ge mîmā du khami dī, 19 amagab ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli di Eloba ra mî, Rexab ôab Jonadab ge hoaǁae, ǁîba nî aimâba khoeba nî ūhâ.”
