²⁰ But the Lord selected you and brought you out of Egypt’s iron furnace to be a people for His inheritance, as you are today.

⁴ which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt,^(A) out of the iron furnace.’^(B) I declared: ‘Obey Me, and do everything that I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God,’^(C)

¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me.^(A) All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace;^(B) they are the dross of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because all of you have become dross, I am about to gather you into Jerusalem. ²⁰ Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to blow fire^(C) on them and melt them, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you. ²¹ Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My fury, and you will be melted within the city. ²² As silver is melted inside a furnace, so you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out My wrath on you.”^(D)

⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith^(A)—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire^(B)—may result^(C) in^[a] praise, glory, and honor^(D) at the revelation of Jesus Christ.^(E)