The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
The bellows are burned up, the lead is consumed by the fire; the metalworker keeps melting the ore, but it's all for nothing because the impurities cannot be removed.
God is saying that His attempts to purify His people through judgment have failed because they refuse to turn away from their wickedness.
📚 Historical Context
Jeremiah spoke these words during the final decades before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. God had been trying to refine and purify the people of Judah through various trials and warnings, but they continued in their rebellion and idol worship. The prophet uses the imagery of a metalworker's failed attempt to purify silver to describe how God's disciplinary efforts had not produced repentance.
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