17. And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
18. “Son of man, 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 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.’ ”
23. And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
24. “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land not cleansed; it is not rained upon in the day of indignation.’
25. The conspiracy of its prophets in the midst of her is like a roaring lion that is tearing prey. They devour people, and they take wealth and treasure; they make its widows numerous in the midst of her.
26. Its priests treat my law violently, and they profane my holy objects; they do not distinguish between a holy object and what is unholy, or between the clean and the unclean. They do not teach the difference, and they hide their eyes from my Sabbaths, and so I am profaned in the midst of them.
27. Its officials are like wolves tearing prey in its midst, to pour out blood, to destroy people, to make dishonest gain.