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[a]at that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah, the son of Amoz: Go and take off the sackcloth from your waist, and remove the sandals from your feet. This he did, walking naked and barefoot.(A) Then the Lord said: Just as my servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and portent against Egypt and Ethiopia,(B) so shall the king of Assyria lead away captives from Egypt, and exiles from Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the shame of Egypt.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 20:2–6 Isaiah’s nakedness is a symbolic act to convey the message that Assyria would lead the Egyptians and Ethiopians away as captives. The Judeans and their allies would then realize the folly of having trusted in them. The purpose of the oracle was to dissuade Hezekiah, the Judean king, from being drawn into Ashdod’s anti-Assyrian coalition (14:28–32).

at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(A) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(B) from your body and the sandals(C) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(D) and barefoot.(E)

Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(F) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(G) as a sign(H) and portent(I) against Egypt(J) and Cush,[a](K) so the king(L) of Assyria will lead away stripped(M) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(N) and Cushite(O) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(P)—to Egypt’s shame.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5