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?

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?

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!

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 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 raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities.

He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.

“ Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals, that you may determine the quality of my people.

I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say,‘ These are my people,’ and they will say,‘ The Lord is our God.’”

I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

“ Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows.No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold— though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

“ Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over— a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.So tell them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem.Just as silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury.I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you,and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’”

The bellows fiercely fan the flames to burn out the corruption. But it does not purify them, for the wickedness remains.I will label them‘ Rejected Silver,’ for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”

His horsemen will trample through every street in the city. They will butcher your people, and your strong pillars will topple.“ They will plunder all your riches and merchandise and break down your walls. They will destroy your lovely homes and dump your stones and timbers and even your dust into the sea.

The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple.

“ O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?” asks the Lord.“ For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces— to slaughter you with my words, with judgments as inescapable as light.

“ Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the Lord.“ I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.

Then the angel said to me,“ Shout this message for all to hear:‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong.But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions.“‘ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I have returned to show mercy to Jerusalem. My Temple will be rebuilt, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and measurements will be taken for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.’