Isaiah acts out the defeat of Egypt and Ethiopia

1King Sargon of Assyria gave orders for his army commander to capture the city of Ashdod.20.1 Ashdod: King Sargon II of Assyria captured this Philistine city in 711 BC. 2About this same time the LORD had told me, “Isaiah, take off everything, including your sandals!” I did this and went around naked and barefoot 3for three years.

Then the LORD said:

What Isaiah has done is a warning to Egypt and Ethiopia.20.3 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11. 4Everyone in these two countries will be led away naked and barefoot by the king of Assyria. Young or old, they will be taken prisoner, and Egypt will be disgraced. 5They will be confused and frustrated, because they depended on Ethiopia and boasted about Egypt. 6When this happens, the people who live along the coast20.6 people…coast: Probably the Philistines. will say, “Look what happened to them! We ran to them for safety, hoping they would protect us from the king of Assyria. But now, there is no escape for us.”