Yahweh is speaking to Jeremiah. God speaks of the people of Israel being very sinful as if they were silver that was full of impurities. God speaks of punishing Israel to make them stop sinning as if he were boiling silver and lead in a hot fire in order to remove the impurities from the silver. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
Bronze and iron are hard metals. Yahweh speaks of the people being stubborn as if they were hard like bronze and iron. AT: "All of them are hard like bronze and iron" or "All of them are stubborn, as hard as bronze and iron" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
# The bellows are scorched by the fire that is burning them; the lead is consumed in the flames
God speaks of punishing his people as if they were silver and he was boiling the silver in a very hot fire. These phrases emphasize that the the one boiling the metal was working very hard. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
# The bellows are scorched by the fire that is burning them
The fire is so hot that it burns the bellows. This can be stated in active form. This very hot fire represents God's judgment. AT: "The fire is so hot that it scorches the bellows" or "The punishment is so severe that it is like a fire that even burns the bellows" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
Bellows are a tool used to blow large amounts of air into a burning fire to make the fire hotter. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
The silver has so many impurities in it that the lead is used up before it can remove them all. This represents the people of Israel being so full of sin, that they continue to sin even after God punishes them. AT: "the silver is so full of impurities, that the lead that is used to remove them is used up" or "they are like silver that is so full of impurities that the lead cannot remove them all" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
This can be stated in active form. AT: "You will continue to refine them" or "You will continue to try to purify them" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
God speaks of Israel continuing to be evil as if they were silver and the impurities remained in the silver. This can be stated in active form. AT: "because the evil remains" or "the impurities remain" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
This can be stated in active form. AT: "People will call the people of Israel 'worthless silver'" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
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