Jeremiah and the Rechabites
1 When Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, 2 “Go to the members of the Rechabite clan and talk to them. Then bring them into one of the rooms in the Temple and offer them some wine.” 3 So I took the entire Rechabite clan—Jaazaniah (the son of another Jeremiah, who was Habazziniah's son) and all his brothers and sons— 4 and brought them to the Temple. I took them into the room of the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah. This room was above the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum, an important official in the Temple, and near the rooms of the other officials. 5 Then I placed cups and bowls full of wine before the Rechabites, and I said to them, “Have some wine.”
6 But they answered, “We do not drink wine. Our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab told us that neither we nor our descendants were ever to drink any wine. 7 He also told us not to build houses or farm the land and not to plant vineyards or buy them. He commanded us always to live in tents, so that we might remain in this land where we live like strangers. 8 We have obeyed all the instructions that Jonadab gave us. We ourselves never drink wine, and neither do our wives, our sons, or our daughters. 9-10 We do not build houses for homes—we live in tents—and we own no vineyards, fields, or grain. We have fully obeyed everything that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. 11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar invaded the country, we decided to come to Jerusalem to get away from the Babylonian and Syrian armies. That is why we are living in Jerusalem.”
12-13 Then the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, told me to go and say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, “I, the Lord, ask you why you refuse to listen to me and to obey my instructions. 14 Jonadab's descendants have obeyed his command not to drink wine, and to this very day none of them drink any. But I have kept on speaking to you, and you have not obeyed me. 15 I have continued to send you all my servants the prophets, and they have told you to give up your evil ways and to do what is right. They warned you not to worship and serve other gods, so that you could go on living in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. But you would not listen to me or pay any attention to me. 16 Jonadab's descendants have obeyed the command that their ancestor gave them, but you people have not obeyed me. 17 So now, I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, will bring on you people of Judah and of Jerusalem all the destruction that I promised. I will do this because you would not listen when I spoke to you, and you would not answer when I called you.”
18 Then I told the Rechabite clan that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “You have obeyed the command that your ancestor Jonadab gave you; you have followed all his instructions, and you have done everything he commanded you. 19 So I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, promise that Jonadab son of Rechab will always have a male descendant to serve me.”
Ovarekabi tava ningi oshihopaenenwa shaJuda
1 Pomafiku aJehoiakim yaJosia, ohamba yaJuda, ondjovo ya dja kOmwene, oya hanga Jeremia, tai ti: 2 “Inda ko kOvarekabi, ove u popye navo, ove u va ete motembeli yOmwene okedimo limwe lonhumba, ove u va pe omaviinyu okunwa.” 3 Opo nee ame onda kufa Jaasanja yaJeremia yaHabasinja novamwaina novana novakwapata aveshe Ovarekabi, 4 ndele ame onde va twala kotembeli yOmwene omedimo lovana vaHanan yaJigdalja, omulumenhu waKalunga, edimo la shaama nedimo lovakulunhu, kombada yedimo laMaasea yaSallum, omukeleli woposhivelo. 5 Ndele ovana vomepata lOvarekabi onde va dikila oitoo yomaviinyu i yadi, nomaholo, ndele nde va lombwela: “Nweni omaviinyu. 6 Ndelenee vo ova nyamukula tava ti: Ahowe, fye ihatu nu omaviinyu, osheshi Jonadab, omona waRekab, tatekulu, okwe tu lombwela ta ti: Nye novana veni kaleni ihamu nu omaviinyu fiyo alushe, 7 inamu tunga eengulu ile inamu kuna ombuto ile inamu twika oikokola yomiviinyu, nye inamu kala nayo. Ndelenee nye omu nokukala momatwali omafiku eni aeshe, opo mu kale nomwenyo mule moshilongo omo tamu ka kala mo ovaendanandjila. 8 Ndele fye otwa dulika kondaka yatate Jonadab, omona waRekab koinima aishe ye e i tu lombwela, fye ihatu nu omaviinyu momafiku etu aeshe, ofye vene novakainhu vetu novana vetu ovamati novana vetu oukadona. 9 Ndele fye itatu tungu eengulu tu kale mo, osho yo katu noikokola yomiviinyu ile omapya nombuto; 10 ndele otwa kala momatwali ndele twa dulika notwa ninga naanaa ngaashi tate Jonadab e tu lombwela.” 11 Ndelenee opa ningwa, Nebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, eshi a homona oshilongo, otwa popya ndele hatu ti: Fikameni, tu yeni kuJerusalem, fye tu ye oita yOvakaldea noita yOvaarami onhapo. Osho ngaha fye otwa kala muJerusalem.
12 Opo nee ondjovo ei yOmwene oya hanga Jeremia tai ti: 13 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ti ngaha: Inda u ka lombwele ovalumenhu vomuJuda noonakukalamo muJerusalem u tye: Nye inamu hala okudulika kouteku wange, nye mu ude eendjovo dange, Omwene ta ti? 14 Eendjovo daJonadab yaRekab e di lombwela ovana vaye nokutya, vaha nwe omaviinyu, ove di diinina, vo inava nwa omaviinyu fiyo onena, ndelenee ova dulika koshipango shaxekulu. Ndelenee Ame onde mu lombwela efimbo alishe, ndelenee nye inamu uda nge. 15 Ndele Ame inandi fya ounye oku mu tumina ovapiya vange ovaxunganeki efimbo alishe, vo va tye: Lialulukeni, keshe umwe kondjila yaye ii, nye mu wapaleke oilonga yeni, ndele inamu shikula oikalunga, mu i longele, opo nee nye tamu ka kala medu leni nde li mu pa, onye nooxokulu. Ndelenee nye inamu pwilikina nomatwi eni inamu ameka kwaame. 16 Heeno, oludalo laJonadab yaRekab la wanifa oshipango shaxekulu, e shi va lombwela, ndelenee ovanhu ava ihava udu nge. 17 Onghee hano Omwene, Kalunga komatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ti: “Tala, kombada yoonakukalamo muJuda nomuJerusalem ohandi tumu oiponga ei aishe nde i va lombwela; osheshi Ame onde va lombwela, ndele vo inava hala okuuda nge, ndele Ame onde va ifana, ndelenee vo inava itavela nge.” 18 Ndele Jeremia okwa lombwela epata lOvarekabi, ndele ta ti: Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael ota ti: “Nye eshi mwa dulika koshipango shaxokulu Jonadab, ndele mwa diinina oipango yaye aishe, nomwa wanifa aishe ei ye e mu lombwela, 19 onghee hano Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael, ota ti: Mepata laJonadab, omona waRekab itamu ka pumba omulumenhu ou ta ka kala ofika koshipala shange fiyo alushe.”
