Isaiah 22
An Oracle Concerning Jerusalem
1 (Jer 21:13; Ps 125:2) The oracle of the Valley of Vision.
What ails you now,
that you all have gone up to the housetops,
2 (Isa 32:13; 23:7) you who were full of noise,
a tumultuous city, a joyous city?
Your slain are not slain with the sword,
nor did they die in battle.
3 All your rulers have fled together;
they are captured by the archers.
All of you who were found were taken captive together,
although they had fled from afar.
4 (Jer 9:1; Mic 1:8) Therefore, I say, "Look away from me,
I will weep bitterly;
do not try to comfort me
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people."
5 (Isa 10:6; 37:3) For it is a day of trouble and of treading down
and of perplexity
by the Lord God of Hosts
in the Valley of Vision,
a breaking down of the walls
and a crying to the mountains.
6 (2Ki 16:9; Isa 21:2) Elam took up the quiver
with chariots of men and horsemen,
and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys shall be full of chariots,
and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 (1Ki 7:2; 10:17) And He shall remove the protection of Judah.
You shall depend in that day
on the weapons of the house of the forest;
9 (2Ki 20:20) you have seen also that the breaches
of the City of David are many;
and you gathered together the waters
of the lower pool.
10 You have numbered the houses of Jerusalem,
and the houses you have broken down to fortify the wall.
11 (2Ki 25:4) You also made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool.
But you have not looked to its Maker,
nor did you respect Him who fashioned it long ago.
12 (Joel 2:17; 1:13) In that day the Lord God of Hosts
called you to weeping and mourning,
and to tear your hair and wear sackcloth.
13 (Isa 56:12; 1Co 15:32; Lk 17:26-29) Yet, there is joy and gladness,
slaying of oxen and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking wine:
"Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we may die."
14 (1Sa 3:14; Isa 5:9) It was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of Hosts:
Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you until you die,
says the Lord God of Hosts.
15 (2Ki 18:18; Isa 36:3) Thus says the Lord God of Hosts:
Come, go to this treasurer,
even to Shebna, who is over the royal household, and say:
16 (Mt 27:60; 2Ch 16:14) What right do you have here?
And whom do you have here
that you have dug out for yourself a tomb here,
as he who hews out for himself a tomb on high,
and who cuts a habitation for himself in a rock?
17 Indeed, the Lord is about to hurl you headlong, O man;
He is about to seize you firmly.
18 (Isa 17:13) He will surely violently turn
and toss you like a ball into a large country;
there you shall die,
and there the chariots of your glory shall be
the shame of your lord's house.
19 (Job 40:11-12; Eze 17:24) I will drive you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
20 (2Ki 18:18; Isa 36:3) In that day I will call My servant Eliakim
the son of Hilkiah.
21 (Ge 45:8) And I will clothe him with your robe and tie him securely
with your sash. And I will entrust him with your authority,
and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the house of Judah.
22 (Job 12:14; Rev 3:7) The key of the house of David I will lay
on his shoulder. Then he shall open, and no one shall shut.
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
23 (1Sa 2:8; Ezr 9:8) I will fasten him as a nail in a firm place,
and he shall become a glorious throne to his father's house.
24 They shall hang on him all the glory of his father's house,
the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity,
from the bowls to all the jars.
25 (Isa 46:11; Mic 4:4) In that day, says the Lord of Hosts,
the nail that is fastened in the firm place shall be removed,
and be cut down and fall. And the load that was on it shall be cut off,
for the Lord has spoken it.
Isaiah 22
[1] The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art
wholly gone up to the housetops?
[2] Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain
men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
[3] All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all
that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
[4] Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to
comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
[5] For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by
the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and
of crying to the mountains.
[6] And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir
uncovered the shield.
[7] And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of
chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
[8] And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day
to the armour of the house of the forest.
[9] Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many:
and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
[10] And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye
broken down to fortify the wall.
[11] Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old
pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect
unto him that fashioned it long ago.
[12] And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to
mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
[13] And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating
flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
[14] And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this
iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of
hosts.
[15] Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer,
even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
[16] What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee
out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and
that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
[17] Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will
surely cover thee.
[18] He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large
country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be
the shame of thy lord's house.
[19] And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he
pull thee down.
[20] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant
Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
[21] And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy
girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a
father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
[22] And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he
shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
[23] And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a
glorious throne to his father's house.
[24] And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the
offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of
cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.
[25] In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened
in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that
was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
2) Our Daily Bread for 17 July 2026 titled
God's Handiwork By Karen Pimpo
Job 38:31-41
31 "Can you tie the cords to the Pleiades
or loosen the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out the constellation in its season?
Or can you guide the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the ordinances of heaven?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that abundance of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send lightning that they may go forth
and say to you, 'Here we are' ?
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or who has given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can empty out the bottles of heaven,
38 when the dust turns into hard clumps
and the clods stick together?
39 "Will you hunt the prey for the lion?
Or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40 when they crouch in their dens
and lie in the thicket to wait in ambush?
41 Who provides for the raven his food
when his young ones cry unto God,
and they wander about for lack of food?
31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades,
Or loose the bands of Orion?
32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?
Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven?
Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds,
That abundance of waters may cover thee?
35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go,
And say unto thee, Here we are?
36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?
Or who hath given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom?
Or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust groweth into hardness,
And the clods cleave fast together?
39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion?
Or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they couch in their dens,
And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
41 Who provideth for the raven his food?
When his young ones cry unto God,
They wander for lack of meat.
Dragonflies are dainty insects with some of the most amazing flight and
endurance capabilities. Their aerial abilities have been studied to improve
flight technology. Scientists recently found that with its wings beating
thirty times a second, a dragonfly that has fallen upside-down can right
itself in just 0.2 seconds. Its eyes process an incredible two hundred images
per second to determine which way is up and make tiny adjustments.
God's creativity and wisdom are on display all throughout our natural world.
In the book of Job, the main character struggles to reconcile his suffering
with God's goodness and righteousness. God responds by asking Job, "Do you
know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?"
(38:33). God begins to describe many animals from birds and goats to the
world's largest predators (38:36; 39:1; 40:15-24; 41). He knows what each
animal needs for survival and is aware of the hungry cries of their young
(38:39-41). God has given each of them distinct characteristics, such as
the speed of an ostrich or the strength of an ox, so they can thrive (ch. 39).
How exactly does a dragonfly maneuver so incredibly? We have a lot to learn.
And yet we can trust that the all-knowing God who designed these creatures is
the same one who knows how to bring us from the darkest night into the light
and joy of His presence.
Reflect & Pray
Where do you see God's handiwork in the world around you?
What does it reveal about His nature?
Creator God, I trust Your wisdom
and righteousness, even when I don't understand it.