Jerusalem as God’s Furnace

17 The word of the Lord came to me: 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)

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17 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] 18 “Son of man,[c] the house of Israel has become as silver dross to me; all of them are as bronze and tin and iron and lead in the midst of a furnace, even as silver dross, silver dross they became! 19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because all of you have become as silver dross, therefore look! I am gathering you to the midst of Jerusalem, 20 like the gathering of silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin to the middle of a furnace to blow fire on it for melting. Thus I will gather in my anger and in my rage, and I will deposit[d] you, and I will melt you. 21 And I will gather you, and I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and so I will melt you in the midst of her. 22 Thus you will be melted like the melting of silver in the midst of a furnace, and you will know that I, Yahweh, I have poured out my rage on you.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 22:17 Literally “was”
  2. Ezekiel 22:17 Literally “to say”
  3. Ezekiel 22:18 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 22:20 Literally “I will put/place”