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Assyria Will Defeat Egypt and Cush

20 [L In the year that; C about 712 bc] Sargon king of Assyria sent ·a military commander [or his commander-in-chief] to Ashdod [C a Philistine city] to attack that city. So the commander attacked and captured it. ·Then [L At that time] the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Take the ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C a sign of mourning] off your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” So Isaiah obeyed and walked around ·naked [stripped] and barefoot.

Then the Lord said, “[L Just as] Isaiah my servant has walked around naked and barefoot for three years as a ·sign [L sign and omen/portent] against Egypt and Cush [18:1]. [L So; Thus] The king of Assyria will carry away prisoners from Egypt and ·captives [exiles] from Cush. Old people and young people will be led away ·naked [stripped] and barefoot, with their buttocks bare. So the Egyptians will be shamed. People who ·looked to Cush for help [trusted/put hope in Cush] will be ·afraid [dismayed; disillusioned], and those who ·were amazed by [boasted/took pride in] Egypt’s glory will be shamed. People who live ·near the sea [in this coastland] will say, ‘Look at what happened to those ·we trusted in for help [in whom we hoped]. We ·ran [fled] to them so they would ·save [rescue] us from the king of Assyria. So how will we be able to escape?’”

Prophecy about Egypt and Ethiopia

20 In the year that the [a](A)commander came to (B)Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, at that time the Lord spoke through (C)Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the (D)sackcloth from your hips and take your (E)sandals off your feet.” And he did so, going (F)naked and barefoot. Then the Lord said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a (G)sign and symbol against Egypt and [b](H)Cush, so the (I)king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, (J)young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the [c]shame of Egypt. Then they will be (K)terrified and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their (L)pride. So the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Behold, such is our hope, where we fled (M)for help to be saved from the king of Assyria; and (N)how are we ourselves to escape?’”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 20:1 Heb Tartan
  2. Isaiah 20:3 Or Ethiopia, as in vv 4, 5
  3. Isaiah 20:4 Lit nakedness