Isaiah 20

₁King Sargon of Assyria sent his chief_officer to the city of Ashdod and he defeated the city. ₂At that time the Lord sent Isaiah to take a message to the people. Isaiah was the son of Amoz. The Lord told Isaiah: ‘Take off your clothes, the sack-cloth you have on, and your sandals.’

Isaiah did as the Lord told him. That was how he walked in the streets, with no clothes or sandals. ₃Then the Lord said: ‘For 3 years my servant Isaiah has been naked, without sandals or clothes. That was a sign that showed what will happen to the lands of Egypt and Cush. ₄The king of Assyria will catch the people of Egypt and Cush and take them away, the young men and old men. They will be naked and without sandals and the Egyptians will be ashamed of their naked bodies. ₅The people who thought that the people of Cush and Egypt would help them will know that they can not help. ₆On that day, the people who live near the sea will say: “Look what has happened. We thought that the people of Cush and Egypt could help us against the king of Assyria, but now we know that we will not become free.” ’