The Hebrew Prophets

Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seede, nor plant vineyarde, nor haue any, but all your dayes ye shall dwell in tentes, that ye may liue a long time in the land where ye be strangers.

Thus haue wee obeyed the voyce of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father, in all that he hath charged vs, and wee drinke no wine all our dayes, neither wee, our wiues, our sonnes, nor our daughters.

Neither builde wee houses for vs to dwell in, neither haue we vineyard, nor fielde, nor seede,

But we haue remained in tentes, and haue obeyed, and done according to all that Ionadab our father commanded vs.

But when Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel came vp into the land, we said, Come, and let vs go to Ierusalem, from the hoste of the Caldeans, and from the host of Aram: so we dwel at Ierusalem.

Then came the word of the Lord vnto Ieremiah, saying,

Thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Goe, and tell the men of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem, Will ye not receiue doctrine to obey my wordes, saith the Lord?

The commandement of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab that hee commanded his sonnes, that they should drinke no wine, is surely kept: for vnto this day they drinke none, but obey their fathers commandement: notwithstanding I haue spoken vnto you, rising earely, and speaking, but ye would not obey me.

I haue sent also vnto you all my seruants the Prophetes, rising vp earely, and sending, them, saying, Returne nowe euery man from his euill way, and amende your workes, and goe not after other gods to serue them, and ye shall dwel in the lande which I haue giuen vnto you, and to your fathers, but ye would not encline your eare, nor obey mee.

Surely the sonnes of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab, haue kept the commandement of their father, which he gaue them, but this people hath not obeyed me.

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Beholde, I will bring vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, all the euill that I haue pronounced against them, because I haue spoke vnto them, but they would not heare, and I haue called vnto them, but they would not answere.

And Ieremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, Because ye haue obeyed the commandement of Ionadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according vnto all that hee hath commanded you,

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Ionadab the sonne of Rechab shall not want a man, to stand before me for euer.

And in the fourth yeere of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, came this word vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, saying,

Take thee a roule or booke, and write therein all the wordes that I haue spoken to thee against Israel, and against Iudah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spake vnto thee, euen from the dayes of Iosiah vnto this day.

It may bee that the House of Iudah will heare of all the euill, which I determined to doe vnto them that they may returne euery man from his euil way, that I may forgiue their iniquitie and their sinnes.

Then Ieremiah called Baruch the sonne of Neriah, and Baruch wrote at the mouth of Ieremiah all the wordes of the Lord, which hee had spoken vnto him, vpon a roule or booke.

And Ieremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut vp, and can not go into the House of the Lord.

Therefore goe thou, and reade the roule wherein thou hast written at my mouth the words of the Lord in the audience of the people in the Lordes House vpon the fasting day: also thou shalt reade them in the hearing of all Iudah, that come out of their cities.

It may be that they will pray before the Lord, and euery one returne from his euill way, for great is the anger and the wrath, that the Lord hath declared against this people.

So Baruch the sonne of Neriah did according vnto all, that Ieremiah the Prophet commanded him, reading in the booke the wordes of the Lord in the Lords House.

And in the fift yeere of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, in the ninth moneth, they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Ierusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Iudah vnto Ierusalem.

Then read Baruch in the booke the wordes of Ieremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the sonne of Shaphan the secretarie, in the hier court at the entrie of the new gate of the Lordes house, in the hearing of all the people.

When Michaiah the sonne of Gemariah, the sonne of Shaphan had heard out of the booke all the wordes of the Lord,

Then hee went downe to the Kings house into the Chancellours chamber, and loe, all the princes sate there, euen Elishama the Chancellour, and Delaiah the sonne of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the sonne of Achbor, and Gemariah the sonne of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the sonne of Hananiah, and all the princes.