So the Lord who rules over all says,“ I will put them through the fire to test them. What else can I do? My people are so sinful!

所以万军之耶和华如此说：“看哪，我要将他们熔化熬炼；不然，我因我百姓的罪该怎样行呢？

所以万军之耶和华如此说：“看哪，我要熬炼他们，考验他们；不然，为了我的百姓，我该如何行呢？

所以万军之耶和华如此说：“看哪，我要熬炼他们，考验他们；不然，为了我的百姓，我该如何行呢？

因此，万军之耶和华说：“看啊，我要熬炼、试验这些罪恶的子民，除此之外，我别无选择。

因此，万军之耶和华这样说：“看哪！我要熬炼他们，试验他们；因我子民（“我子民”原文作“我子民的女子”）的罪恶，我还可以作什么呢？

所以萬軍之耶和華如此說：看哪，我要將他們鎔化熬煉；不然，我因我百姓的罪該怎樣行呢？

所以萬軍之耶和華如此說：「看哪，我要熬煉他們，考驗他們；不然，為了我的百姓，我該如何行呢？

所以萬軍之耶和華如此說：「看哪，我要熬煉他們，考驗他們；不然，為了我的百姓，我該如何行呢？

因此，萬軍之耶和華說：「看啊，我要熬煉、試驗這些罪惡的子民，除此之外，我別無選擇。

因此，萬軍之耶和華這樣說：“看哪！我要熬煉他們，試驗他們；因我子民（“我子民”原文作“我子民的女子”）的罪惡，我還可以作甚麼呢？

因此萬軍之永恆主這麼說：『看吧，我必熬煉他們，試驗他們；不然，我因我子民的罪該怎樣行呢？

萬軍之耶和華曰、因我民女如是、我必陶鎔之、煆煉之、否則何以處之、

萬有之主耶和華又曰、我將何以處我民、必煆煉之而後可。

故萬有之主如是云、我民若此、我何以處之乎、必陶鎔之、試鍊之、

Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:“ See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:“ Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people?

Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:“ See, I will melt them down in a crucible and test them like metal. What else can I do with my people?

Therefore, this is what the LORD of Armies says: I am about to refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of my dear people?

Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:“ Behold, I will refine them and put them to the test; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:“ Behold, I will refine them and try them; For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?

Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how else should I do, because of the daughter of my people?

Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: I am about to refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of My dear people?

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

Therefore the LORD who rules over all says,“ I will now purify them in the fires of affliction and test them. The wickedness of my dear people has left me no choice. What else can I do?

Therefore Yahweh of Armies says,“ Behold, I will melt them and test them; for how should I deal with the daughter of my people?

I will turn my power against you. I will make you completely‘ clean.’ I will remove everything that is not pure.

He will act like one who makes silver pure. And he will purify the Levites, just as gold and silver are purified with fire. Then these men will bring proper offerings to the Lord.

The Lord says to me,“ I have made you like one who tests metals. My people are the ore. I want you to watch them and test the way they live.

I will put this third in the fire. I will make them as pure as silver. I will test them like gold. They will call out to me. And I will answer them. I will say,‘ They are my people.’ And they will say,‘ The Lord is our God.’ ”

I have tested you in the furnace of suffering. I have tried to make you pure. But I did not use as much heat as it takes to make silver pure.

Dear friends, don’t be surprised by the terrible things happening to you. The trouble you are having has come to test you. So don’t feel as if something strange were happening to you.

The Lord continues,“ People of Ephraim, how can I give you up? Israel, how can I hand you over to your enemies? Can I destroy you as I did the town of Admah? Can I treat you like Zeboyim? My heart is stirred inside me. It is filled with pity for you.I will not be so angry with you anymore. I will not completely destroy you again. After all, I am God. I am not a mere man. I am the Holy One among you. I will not direct my anger against their cities.

Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. Your faith is worth more than gold. That’s because gold can pass away even when fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns.

“ Son of man, the people of Israel have become like scum to me. All of them are like the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are only the scum that is removed from silver.”So the Lord and King says,“ People of Israel, all of you have become like scum. So I will gather you together in Jerusalem.People put silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a furnace. They melt it with a blazing fire. In the same way, I will gather you. I will pour out my burning anger on you. I will put you inside the city and melt you.I will gather you together. My burning anger will blaze out at you. And you will be melted inside Jerusalem.Silver is melted in a furnace. And you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I have poured out my burning anger on you. I am the Lord.”

The fire is made very hot so the lead will burn away. But it is impossible to make these people pure. Those who are evil are not removed.They are like silver that is thrown away. That is because I have not accepted them.”

The hooves of his horses will pound in your streets. His swords will kill your people. Your strong pillars will fall to the ground.His men will take away from you your wealth and anything else you have. They will pull down your walls. They will completely destroy your fine houses. They will throw the stones and lumber of your broken- down buildings into the sea.

The Lord, the God of Israel, sent word to his people through his messengers. He sent it to them again and again. He took pity on his people. He also took pity on the temple where he lived.

The Lord says,“ Ephraim, what can I do with you? And what can I do with you, Judah? Your love for me vanishes like the morning mist. It soon disappears like the early dew.So I used the words of my prophets to cut you in pieces. I used my words to put you to death. Then my judgments blazed out like the sun.

Aren’t the people of Ephraim my dear children? Aren’t they the children I take delight in? I often speak against them. But I still remember them. So my heart longs for them. I love them with a tender love,” announces the Lord.

Then the angel said,“ Announce this message. Say,‘ The Lord who rules over all says,“ I am very jealous for my people in Jerusalem and Zion.And I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry with my people. But the nations went too far and tried to wipe them out.”“‘ So the Lord says,“ I will return to Jerusalem. I will show its people my tender love. My temple will be rebuilt there. Workers will use a measuring line when they rebuild Jerusalem,” announces the Lord.