¹⁷ The Lord’s message came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become slag to me. All of them are like bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace;^[a] they are the worthless slag of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because all of you^[b] have become slag, look out! I am about to gather you in the middle of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are gathered in a furnace so that the fire can blow on them to melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and in my rage. I will deposit you there^[c] and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted in it. ²² As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.’”