Oshiholelwa shAarekab
1 Jehoiakim yaJosia sho a li omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 2 “Inda utale kaantu yoludhi lwaRekab, u popye nayo. Ya fala mela limwe lyomomala gomotempeli e to ya pe omaviinu.” 3 Onda kutha oludhi aluhe lwaRekab Jaazania yaJeremia yaHabbazzinia naamwayina ayehe noyana aamati — 4 nonde ya fala motempeli. Onde ya fala mela lyaalongwa yomuhunganeki Hanan yaIgdalia. Ela ndika olya li kombanda yela lyaMaaseia gaShallum, elenga enene motempeli, popepi nela lyomalenga galwe. 5 Onda tula iitenga nuuyo wu udha omaviinu koshipala shAarekab e tandi ti kuyo: “Nweni omaviinu.”
6 Ihe oya yamukula ya ti: “Ihatu nu omaviinu. Tatekulu Jonadab yaRekab okwe tu lombwele, twaa nwe omaviinu. Tse yene noluvalo lwetu katu na okunwa omaviinu. 7 Okwe tu lombwele wo, twaa tunge omagumbo nenge tu longe omapya, twaa tsike iitsambe yomiviinu nenge tu yi lande. Okwe tu lombwele, tu kale aluhe momatsali, opo tu kale olule mevi ndika, moka tu li oondjendi. 8 Otwa vulika komalombwelo agehe ngoka Jonadab e ge tu pe. Otse yene ihatu nu omaviinu nenge aakiintu yetu nenge aana yetu aamati naakadhona. 9-10 Ihatu tungu omagumbo tu kale mo — ohatu kala momatsali — katu na iitsambe yomiviinu, omapya nenge iilya. Otwa vulika lela kwaayihe mbyoka tatekulu Jonadab e tu lombwele. 11 Nebukadnezzar sho a homona oshilongo, otwa tokola tu ye kuJerusalem, opo tu tembuke iita yAababilonia noyAasiria. Omolwashoka twa kala muJerusalem.”
12-13 Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, okwa lombwele ndje, ndi ka lombwele Aajuda nAajerusalem ndi tye: “Ongame, Omuwa, tandi mu pula kutya omolwashike mwa tindi okupulakena ndje nokuvulika koohapu dhandje? 14 Oluvalo lwaJonadab olwa vulika koshipango she, lwaa nwe omaviinu. Sigo onena ndjika inalu ga nwa. Ihe nando ngame onda dhiginine oku mu kumagidha, ne inamu vulika kungame. 15 Onda tsikile oku mu tumina aapiya yandje aahunganeki noye mu lombwele, mu ethe oondjila dheni oombwinayi ne mu longe shoka shu uka. Oye mu londodha, mwaa simaneke nokulongela iikalunga yaapagani, opo mu wape okukala mevi ndyoka nde li mu pe noohokulu. Ihe ne inamu pulakena ndje noinamu pupa ndje nando. 16 Oluvalo lwaJonadab olwa vulika koshipango shahekulu, ihe ne inamu vulika kungame. 17 Onkee ano ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, tandi undulile Aajuda nAajerusalem ayehe ehanagulo ndyoka ndu uvaneke. Otandi ke shi ninga, oshoka inamu pulakena shoka nde mu lombwele ne inamu itaala, sho nde mu ithana.”
18 Aarekab onde ya lombwele oohapu ndhika dhOmuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, tadhi ti: “Omwa vulika koshipango shahokulu Jonadab; omwa landula omapukululo ge nomwa gwanitha ayihe mbyoka e mu lombwele. 19 Onkee ano ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, otandi uvaneke kutya mezimo lyaJonadab yaRekab otamu kala aluhe mu na omutekulu koshipala shandje.”
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.”
