¹利甲族謹守先祖戒酒的遺訓在猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬作王的日子，耶和華有話臨到耶利米，說：

¹The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

²“你去見利甲族的人，和他們交談，領他們進入耶和華殿裡的一個房間，給他們酒喝。”

²Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of Yahweh, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink.

³於是我把哈巴洗尼雅的孫子、雅利米雅的兒子雅撒尼亞，以及他的兄弟、他的眾子和利甲全族的人，

³Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

⁴都領進耶和華的殿裡，進了神人伊基大利的兒子哈難眾子的房間；這房間是在眾領袖的房間旁邊，在沙龍的兒子守衛殿門的瑪西雅的房間上面。

⁴and I brought them into the house of Yahweh, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the room of the princes, which was above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

⁵然後我把盛滿酒的酒壺和酒杯，擺放在利甲族人的面前，對他們說：“請喝酒！”

⁵I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, Drink wine!

⁶但他們說：“我們不喝酒，因為我們的祖先利甲的兒子約拿達曾吩咐我們說：‘你們和你們的子孫永遠都不可喝酒。

⁶But they said, We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, forever:

⁷你們也不可建造房屋，不可撒種，不可栽種或擁有葡萄園；你們一生的日子只可住帳棚，使你們在寄居的地上活得長久。’

⁷neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land in which you live.

⁸我們的祖先利甲的兒子約拿達吩咐我們的一切話，我們都聽從了；我們和我們的妻子兒女，終生都不喝酒，

⁸We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;

⁹不建造房屋居住，也沒有葡萄園、田地和種子。

⁹nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

¹⁰我們只住帳棚；我們聽從祖先約拿達吩咐我們的一切話，並且照著去行。

¹⁰but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

¹¹但是，巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒上來攻打這地的時候，我們就說：‘來吧！為了迦勒底和亞蘭人的軍隊的緣故，我們到耶路撒冷去。’這樣，我們才住在耶路撒冷。”

¹¹But it happened, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we dwell at Jerusalem.

¹²責備人民不遵守　神的誡命耶和華的話臨到耶利米，說：

¹²Then came the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah, saying,

¹³“萬軍之耶和華以色列的　神這樣說：你去對猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民說：‘你們不接受管教，不聽我的話嗎？’這是耶和華的宣告。

¹³Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Go, and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words? says Yahweh.

¹⁴‘利甲的兒子約拿達吩咐他的子孫不可喝酒的話，他們已經實行了，他們直到今日都不喝酒，因為他們聽從了他們祖先的吩咐。至於我，我不斷告誡你們，你們卻不聽從我。

¹⁴The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father’s commandment: but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; and you have not listened to me.

¹⁵我不斷差遣我的僕人眾先知到你們那裡去，對你們說：你們各人要悔改，離開自己的惡道，改正你們的行為，不可隨從事奉別神；這樣，你們就可以住在我賜給你們和你們列祖的土地上。只是你們毫不在意，也沒有聽從我。

¹⁵I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and don’t go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.

¹⁶利甲的兒子約拿達的子孫實行了他們祖先吩咐他們的命令，但這人民沒有聽從我。’

¹⁶Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me;

¹⁷因此，耶和華萬軍的　神、以色列的　神這樣說：‘看哪！我必使我對他們預告過的一切災禍，臨到猶大人和耶路撒冷所有的居民，因為我對他們說話，他們卻不聽從；我呼喚他們，他們卻不回應。’”

¹⁷therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.

¹⁸利甲族因謹守遺訓而得福耶利米對利甲族人說：“萬軍之耶和華以色列的　神這樣說：‘因為你們聽從了你們祖先約拿達的吩咐，謹守他的一切命令，又照著他吩咐你們的一切去行。’

¹⁸Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;

¹⁹所以，萬軍之耶和華以色列的　神這樣說：‘利甲的兒子約拿達必永遠不斷有人在我面前侍立。’”

¹⁹therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever.